Rickshaw Run Autos

This is a 9yo memory of seeing two gaily painted autorickshaws at Sabala Heritage Home, Vijayapura on Aug 18th 2017. Pushpa and I were traveling from Dharwad to Hyderabad, on the way we had stopped to see two historical monuments of Vijayapura. We had entered the historical city from the southern side and stopped to see the huge cannon named Landa Kasab Tope. Then we headed to the northern edge of the town to see the canon on Aldi Buruj. Unfortunately the tower was not tourist friendly, there was no way to climb the tower without the help of ladders. Also it was almost dusk, darkness was setting in. I moved up to a slightly elevated ground and got a glimpse of the canon which is quite long. We were tired and just wanted to find a lodge for the night. I guess we found a place just outside the city limits, a lodge situated inside a farm called Sabala Heritage Home.

We liked the heritage home's ambiance instantly. The hosts, lady owner and her colleagues, were friendly. Our first floor rooms had a view of neighboring fields, the only sounds we heard were insects. We had had lemon-grass tea and freshened up. The dining was on the ground floor. Menu was jolada rotti oota which included salad and sweets. Food prepared by village ladies was home food, no other word or phrase to describe it. There were a few other guests and their presence was hardly felt. We hit the sack early and woke up early to start the journey towards Hyderabad.

We chatted with the owner and found that she had good knowledge about plants. She grew vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers and other crops. One of the herbs was a five in one spice. When we sniffed at the crushed leaf we got aromas of clove, pepper, cinnamon.. can't remember the other two. After the pleasant chat we said our byes and headed to the parking area where found two gaily painted autorickshaws. A group of young western foreigners were on a tour of India. Journeys would be slow but they weren't in a hurry, I guess.

On this flaming rickshaw was poster with website address rickshawrun.com which redirected to The Adventurist. Until now I never knew that touring in rickshaws was a craze among western tourists, particularly in Rajasthan. Do check out the website, it's big phenomena at another level.

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a few relief sculptures at Chitradurga Kote

There are a few places which require more than one visit to see the place in detail. For example- Aihole, Badami and Hampi. These places have multiple monuments spread around a large area hence it requires multi-day trip or multiple visits. Now, one other place place that requires multiple visits is Chitradurga fort. I say that because the fort itself encompasses several hills, valleys and countless rock formations. And within that rugged terrain are several monuments built over centuries. In the past it was like a town within the fort having gateways, turrets, bastions, pathways, water tanks, canal system, a gun powder mill, oil tanks, temples, a mint, palaces, barracks, and maybe prison too. Apparently there was a stage for cultural events. So far I've visited Chitradurga fort 3 times yet a lot remains to be seen. Also, the time of the day is important to get glare-free pictures and to not tire out quickly. Early mornings would be ideal. One can get good shots in late afternoon light but one must be prepared to tolerate the heat radiating from the rocks. All my visits were late morning to little past noon. Here are few pictures from my last visit that's in March 2014.

A relief sculpture shrine dedicated to Shiva, Parvati and Nandi. Small are the sculptures but the details are admirable. Notice the Kirtimukha on the arches. The Shivalinga arch is damaged hence the Kirtimukha is not there.

The Hoysala emblem depicted by this warrior-lion duel. I guess this sculpture dates back to Hoysala period. Below the emblem is a pair of elephants, they too seem to be engaged in a fight. On the right is another sculpture of a warrior astride a horse with a weapon raised up. This seems like a memorial of some battle.

A fish couple. Relief sculptures of fishes, tortoises, lizards, elephants and other creatures can be seen at monuments of Hoysala and Vijayanagara period. This reminds me of relief sculptures at the temple complex on Vindhyagiri at Shravanabelegola, Malyavanta Raghunataha Devatsana, Krishnadevaraya memorial at Anegundi and Veerabhadra Devastana at Lepakshi. These are just a few examples.

Then we have another fish pair facing in opposite directions.

Another fish couple. A woman squatting on a platform. Usually this sculpture is seen on outer walls of temples.

A niche in one of the massive walls. It could be a few inches high, max one foot high. This is about nine to ten feet from the ground level. Wondering what the purpose was.

Unlike the previous niche with the rounded top, here's another niche with a pointed top. This too is about eight to nine feet above the ground.

Next we have an unintended sculpture created by the impact of a canon ball fired into the fort. I heard that there are many more impact marks on other parts of the fort. I must look for them during my next visit.

Lastly, a life-size sculpture of a woman offering her Namaskara. I have no idea who this idol depicts. Is it a Hindu goddess or a member of one of the royal families that ruled Chitradurga. The idol is being worshipped to this day, so it is of importance. Must discover the details.

Let me end this post here. For the next week's post I have thoughts of posting a few more unpublished pictures of fortifications & rock formations.

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