A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

It had been a long time since we 4 got together, the trip was planned and executed in 3 days . Yes we did have the initial hiccups. Plan A: A resort on the outskirts of Bangalore. Plan B : ShivaGange. Plan C : Pedukonda. Plan D : PVR multiplex ( 2 back to back films :) ) At last we agreed on the never-seen before Pedukonda (this place boasts of 365 temples and is 140 kms from Bangalore ). Sajjan was supposed to pick me and Subbu at 7:30am , he came at 8am and parked his car right in front of the Mosque. Thus began the trip,with prayers to lord Allah !! We were thinking off packing some lunch when Sajjan informed us that he was fasting,as it was Ganesha Chathurthi and would be eating only fruits , almonds and dry fruits. Suddenly ,even we wanted to fast .Picked up Sri on the way . As we didn’t know the route to Pedukonda we asked a shopkeeper near Sri's residence the route to Pedukonda. This old man was full of enthusiasm and gave us all the details. It went something like this : "Take the road to Doddaballapur, then its Gowribidinur and the small town of Hindupur(AP) and check out the temple at Lepakshi and then after 50 kms its Pedukonda.If you are not tired you can go to Putparthi and take SaiBaba's Darshan”. Our thoughts : Sir it’s a '1'day trip and with Sajjan behind the wheels ... .. hmm ...... 9:30am : We were all comfortably seated in Sajjan's Maruthi 800.Sajjan was the designated driver and I was the DJ, cum navigator cum cleaner( Yes I had to check the tyres and open the car diki) .A quick thought on Sajjan's car mp3 player.It had some sort of a loose connection (like its owner ) and on receiving a jolt it would shut itself off automatically.Weird. On the way we saw lots of monkeys and the scenic beauty was awesome.Hills , paddy fields, small 1 room Government schools , children playing cricket,small temples and lots of villages.Oh not to mention the colourful aster fields which provided the much-needed relief from the hustle and bustle of city life. Oh did I mention that our first destination was Hindupur,a small town in Andhra Pradesh ,some 70 kms from Bangalore. The roads were good not “highway” quality though.We stopped for some bananas and Juice at a small village and asked for furthur directions.Suddenly we realized that we were in a different state and none of us knew the local language,Telugu,fluently.Anand did know a few sentences and we learnt " Thanks anDi " from him. So after 2 hrs of slow 50 kms/hour driving,singing songs ,discussing "Andaz Apna Apna " the film and my blogging exploits,we reached Hindupur. Lapekshi was just 30 kms away. * I bugged these guys by asking them weird questions like : Aah so in which language do you guys think ? 12 noon : We arrive at our first destination,little did we know that this would be our only destination. We were not sure what to expect at this place.It was a small village and as the main entrance to the temple was under renovation , we bypassed it and after driving half a km we saw a huge awesome Monolithic Nandi .We asked an old man the directions to the main entrance to the temple. He said turn back and take a left turn . Sajjan took a U turn and something weird happened.Every few feet we travelled,the villagers took turns in giving us directions. Go straight , take a turn near the pole , go right , go left near the water tap. India :) Lepakshi : Lepakshi is a religious centre with some of the finest temple architecture and paintings dedicated to Veerabhadra, a form of Shiva. The famous Veerabhadra Temple built in the Vijayanagara style is the main attraction. The path to the temple is remarkable for its rich and varied landscape with hills and boulders. This temple was built under the patronage of two brothers Viranna and Virupanna—the governors of Penukonda in the middle of the 16th, century Mythology and legends lend their charm to the origin of the name Lepakshi. It is said that when Lord Rama went in search of Sita, he came across the fallen bird Jatayu here and he commanded the bird to rise: 'Le Pakshi,' which over time, evolved to Lepakshi. At the entrance of the temple we met this Pujari(Priest/pundit) who volunteered to be our guide.We readily agreed.The guided tour lasted an hour and was interesting. Interesting facts: *The 7-metre-high Nagalinga rising from the encircling coils of an enormous ochre-coloured cobra with 7 hoods is impressive. A noticeable crack in the base is explained by a legend. It is said that the Nagalinga was carved by the sons of a woman who lived in a house opposite where the sculpture stands today. Her sculptor sons arrived home for lunch one day. As the meal wasn't ready, they began working on a huge boulder nearby. By the time their mother came to call them in for the meal, the sculpture was complete. Her look of astonishment and admiration is said to have caused a crack in the base *An impression in the stone, said to be the right footprint of Sita, has water trickling through it from a natural spring. *The Lepakshi temple is known for its late 15th century paintings in vegetable dyes; many have vanished while others have faded owing to neglect and the vagaries of weather *The block-print textiles and rugs, popularly referred to as the Lepakshi motifs, and the famous Dharmavaram silks are drawn from the birds, beasts and foliage depicted in the paintings and carvings here. *The Kalyana Mantapa, the traditional marriage hall where Shiva and Parvati were said to have been married. We spent time examining the pillars at the mandapam with its well-chiselled carvings of men with multiple heads and shared bodies interlocked in intricate patterns, three-headed cows, gods, celestial musicians, nymphs and drummers. *As for the temple, popular legend has it that Virupanna and his brother Veeranna, both Nayak chieftains under Achyuta Devaraya of the Vijayanagar kingdom, built the temple on a tortoise-shaped hill at Lepakshi in AD 1531. When they drew freely from the royal treasury for the construction, their enemies carried tales to the king. The king was enraged but before he could punish them, Virupanna gouged his eyes out and threw them against the temple wall. The act made Virupanna 'lopa akshi' (one who lost his eyes), which became Lepakshi. *Artistically, the Lepakshi temple is most celebrated for its paintings .It may be a little known fact that one of the largest murals ever painted in Asia happens to be at Lepakshi. On the ceiling of the hall of dance, eight panels depict Puranic legends. One greatly humane panel captures the story of the Chola king Manunitikanda, who loved to dispense justice even to animals like the cow! *The beautiful but damaged murals give a fascinating view of feminine apparel, ornamentation and hairstyles. *Another remarkable feature is the Monolithic Nandi, which stands 4.5mtrs high and measures 8.5mtrs in length. The majesty of this Nandi is indefinable and keeps the visitors awestruck. This is India’s largest Monolithic Nandi. Lots of other interesting stuff , but my memory fails me.(Had to search for most of the details ) As it was 2 pm in the afternoon, we decided to make our way back to Bangalore and the original destination Pedukonda was soon forgotten. On the way back we ate mangoes .With salt and chilli powder they were very tasty.Price: 2 huge Tothapuri mangoes for Rs 10. They were selling baskets of grapes for Rs 20 and Rs 30 (each basket weighed around 5 kgs). We reached Bangalore at 5 and after a round of masala dosa’s and coffee , we made our way back home. Exhausted but satisfied. This just might be our last trip as bachelors. Thanks Sajjan for bringing us back home in 1 piece .Suprisingly we never doubted your driving skills. PS: Pics tomorrow.