1000 Pillar Temple, Hanamkonda

Visiting this 1163 AD temple was the main purpose of making the trip to Hyderabad. Situated 157kms from Hyderabad in a small town of Hanamkonda, this temple is a major attraction for its unique construction. It is made with the support of 1000 pillars, and so this temple of Hanamkonda is also called as ‘the 1000 pillar temple’. It was built by King Rudrai I of Kakatiya dynasty.



The pillars are all connected together, forming a thick wall. The temple is dedicated to the three Lords, Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The shrines are around the ranga mandapa, a central hall, where probably dancers gave performances during festivals. Only the Shiva Linga exists and prayers are offered there, the other two deities are missing. There is a huge monolithic seated Nandi, the bull which Shiva rides, facing the main shrine.



Reaching There :
Air : The nearest airport is at Hyderabad , 157-km away.
Rail : Warangal has a railway station and is well connected by rail to important cities of India.
Road : APSTRC and Private buses connect Warangal with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Karimnagar, Khammam and some other districts

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Warangal Fort

Warangal Fort, an architectural splendor of thirteenth century; I got to see its ruins and remains. The Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva undertook the construction of this fort, his daughter Rani Rudrama completed it. This tremendously strong and powerful construction, result of the combined effort of this father daughter duo boasts of the workmanship of those artisans centuries back whose only tools were the chisel and hammer.


The architectural brilliance is still visible in the eroded, broken and damaged sculpted pieces. The pic above is of the Nandi idol, one of the structures in a better off condition than the others. The macro shots below, the actual size of the sculpted pieces are as less as one cm.



The "Swayambu Devalayam" temple is surrounded by four tall gateway carved out of stone. These are called the Keerti Toranas. It is made from one single stone. The efforts to keep them standing and defeat the weathering effects of time are visible. In ruins today, yet these mute sculpted pieces stir my heart. I roam around aimlessly among these propped up structures clicking away at my pace and will. I focus one for Skywatch post and my 14 year old pops in, “Mama, take my shot.”

Before we part...

I saw these three ladies immersed in serious discussion. This was near Warangal Fort, Warangal. They seemed to back from their daily work place and would soon part to their respective homes. I watched them with lot of interest, what could they be discussing???


I tried to overhear too, but I am not familiar with their native language, Telegu, so it was a futile attempt. Could they be discussing state politics? or their daily wages? or their family matters? It had to be definitely something important I concluded. One of them was totally unmindful of the huge load on her head.

What is your opinion?

Charminar, Hyderabad

Charminar, the Mosque of four towers, is the symbol of Hyderabad. It was built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He built this monument as thanksgiving to Allah for the elimination of a plague epidemic from this city. It is built of granite and limestone; unfortunately today it is not looked after so well. I wish Andhra Pradesh tourism dept. would make some efforts to protect it from further damage.



The tall minarets seemed to be whispering secrets to the beautiful blue sky above and that was truly the best part of Charminar. Today what we get to see is the re-plastered monument, done in 1824. With the passage of time the city grew, Charminar now belongs to old Hyderabad, the new Hyderabad boasts of computer industries.

The whole of Charminar area is crowded; you will find animals, people and vehicles competing with each other to surge ahead. Then there are the vendors whom you have to very tactfully avoid, the best way is to be busy focusing and taking pictures.

Skywatch Friday

Lad Bazaar, Hyderabad

A 200 year old street in the heart of old Hyderabad, it is most visited by women. I too braved the chaos of traffic around Charminar of Hyderabad and made a beeline for the row of shops here. The street is famous for the bangles sold here. Traditional ethnic style bangles to modern varieties, you name your desire and they are available at pocket friendly prices to skyrocketing prices. The simple glass bangles are as tempting as the stone studded lac bangles. I couldn’t resist slipping on a few on my wrist.



A very small stretch, this street has 100s of shops selling bangles. The vendors keep calling out to the ladies promising them exquisite designs at reasonable prices. New designs in bangles are introduced at the onset of festivals, and there are young college girls, homemakers and even would be brides clamoring to add these to their collections. It is a feast to eyes just standing and watching the activities here.


The name of the street Lad Bazaar means the street of love, and it is believed that Ladli Begum, wife of Mir Mehboob Ali, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad founded Lad Bazaar. The little apartments on either side of the street are used as karkhanas (workshops) for manufacturing the bangles. A Street dedicated to only bangles, a tradition so well preserved for centuries, it seemed as if the time has stood still here.

Do you know of any street dedicated to just one particular item?

Sunset in Rome

Modern Rome has cell towers and power lines dotting the skyline. With the status of eleventh most visited city in the world, third most visited in the European Union, and the most popular tourist attraction in Italy, these features are the backbone of this great city.

Surprised?

Just as we could have rode into the sunset, along came the Internet, and it tripled the significance of the PC.
Andy Grove

Pantheon, Rome

Pantheon – a must see if you are in Rome. The oldest structure there, Pantheon’s foundations were laid in 27 BC. The structure was brought down and rebuilt by Hadrian in 120 AD, a design that the great emperor designed himself. A proof of exemplary Roman engineering, the structure stands strong and beautiful even today. It proved to be a study material for Brunelleschi and Michelangelo, before they built their own at Florence and Vatican.


As one walks into this, lips shape into an expression of ‘WOW’, eyes are left wide open scanning the statues in the decorated niches. Though most part of the interiors have been ripped off, a section of the monument (with twin grilled windows right of altar), still retains its old charm. The church houses the tombs of various famous artists and kings.



I stood there below that opening in the top, like millions of tourists and residents of Rome must have for centuries before me, admiring the circular piece of sky up there. Light flows in like a huge column scanning first the floor and then the statues and moves up and up till darkness sets in. It is an inlet for rainwater too. The floor slants towards the edges, and there are holes which allow easy drainage of the rain water, all this designed and made without modern tools centuries back.



The marble floor remade in 1873, but still has the original pattern of alternate squares and circles. No tickets required for entering, hence one of the most crowded monument I saw in Rome. In spite of all that chaos and excitement around, I think I enjoyed this place the most.

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Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome

Goddess Victoria riding on quadrigas.
There are two such statues situated on either side of the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele, at a height of 70m.

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