My TriAdvisor Review No.407: Basadi Halli: Halebeedu, Karnataka.

Jain Temples of Halebeedu.

There are three Jain Temples (basadis), very near the Kedareswara Temple in Halebeedu, less than half a kilometre away from the Hoysaleshwara Temple. We walked from the Hoysaleshwara temple to the lane where both these temple complexes are located. They are the lesser known temples hence very few tourists come here, and we got a very quiet and peaceful darshan of both.

Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana followed the Jain faith before he converted to Vaishnavism, a sect of Hinduism. However his queen, Shantala Devi continued to be a follower of Jainism. These temples were built in the 12th century, during and immediately after their reign.

There are three Jain basadis in this temple complex. The largest one is the Parshvanatha Basadi, with an 18 foot monolithic statue of the deity. The Shanthinatha Basadi has an inner sanctum with the 18 foot monolith of the Shanthinatha deity. The Adinatha Basadi is the smallest one with the image of the deity Adinatha and the Hindu goddess Saraswati. The monolith of Bahubali, which was earlier present in this temple, in now displayed outside the Halebeedu museum.

The most noteworthy point in these temples are the shining lathe turned pillars, which with the right angle of lighting and some polishing, enables you to see your own reflection.

This Jain temple complex is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, and now proposed to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is definitely worth a visit, and no less spectacular, along with the other temples of Halebeedu and Belur, near Hassan.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.406: Kedareswara Temple, Halebeedu, Karnataka.

Hidden Hoysala Heritage of Halebeedu.

The Kedareswara Temple is hidden away in one of the byelanes of Halebeedu, just about half a kilometre from the more famous Hoysaleshwara Temple. It is just behind the Basadi Halli, which houses the Jain Temples. Very few tourists know about this temple, as a result of which there are hardly any crowds here, and you can explore the temple in peace. Halebeedu village is 32 km from Hassan, and about 220 km from Bengaluru, by road.

The temple was constructed by the Hoysala King, Veera Ballala II, and the main deity is Lord Shiva. The temple is constructed with soapstone, which is soft when quarried, but hardens after carving. It is a three shrined structure, so it is known as ‘trikuta’. Though it is a Shiva temple, there are friezes and panels that bear depictions from both Shaiva and Vaishnava legends. Some beautiful pieces of sculpture worthy of mention are the dancing ‘Bhairava’ (a form of Shiva), ‘Govardhana’ (Lord Krishna lifting a mountain), and Lord Vishnu as Varadaraja.

The entire temple is star shaped and beautifully studded with images of the gods, and depicting the stories of the Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Bhagvatha and other mythological stories. We spent about an hour admiring the beautiful work of the 13th century artisans, but somebody with more interest in history and the religious legends of Hinduism can easily spend the whole day here.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.405: Shantaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu, Karnataka.

Shiva Temple Dedicated to Queen Shantala Devi.

The Hoysaleshwara Temple actually consists of two twin temples of the same size with their sanctums opening east, facing sunrise. The sanctum of Hoysaleshwara (the King), and Shantaleshwara (the Queen, Shantala Devi), both have a Shiva linga. Outside, on the east both temples have a smaller shrine, each with a seated Nandi, facing the lingas. Further to the east of the southern Nandi is a 7 feet high Surya shrine facing the Nandi.

As you enter the temple complex from the northern gate, you are standing in front of the Shantaleshwara deity which is in the form of a Shiva linga. As you proceed further you can see a long covered passage, with various kinds of pillars and perforated screens on the right. This is the only temple where there is a passage between two kutas. The ceilings are filled with minute carvings and details. We then approach the Hoysaleshwara deity, the main deity, which is an impressive Shiva linga nicely decorated with jewels and ornaments and a dashing black drape.

There are many exquisite carvings and friezes on the platforms and walls of the main temples. The temple carvings and walls have been done with soapstone, which is soft when quarried, but hardens over time.

Photography is allowed inside the temples, but not of the shrines with the Shiva lingas kept in the sanctum sanctorums. Footwear has to be removed before entering the temple.

This heritage site of India is a must visit, along with the Kesava temple at Belur, about 17 km away, and Shravanabelagola, about 80 km towards Bangalore. There is a decent lodge run by the state owned KSTDC, appropriately named ‘Hotel Mayura Shantala’ to honour the queen, where we stayed. It is just across the road from the temple.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.404: Halebeedu Temple, Halebeedu, Katnataka.

An Icon of the Intricately Carved Temples of India.

The Halebeedu Temple in the interiors of rural Karnataka is one of the icons of the intricately carved temples of Southern India. It is also referred alternately as the Hoysaleshwara Temple. It is a 12th century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is the largest monument in Halebeedu, which was the former capital of the Hoysala Empire. The temple was sponsored by the King Vishnuvardhana.

The temple actually consists of two twin temples of the same size with their sanctums opening east, facing sunrise. The sanctum of Hoysaleshwara (the King), and Shantaleshwara (the Queen, Shantala Devi), both have a Shiva linga. Outside, on the east both temples have a smaller shrine, each with a seated Nandi, facing the lingas. There are many exquisite carvings and friezes on the platforms and walls of the main temples. The temple carvings and walls have been done with soapstone, which is soft when quarried, but hardens over time.

The Halebeedu temples, along with the Kesava temple at Belur, have been proposed to be listed under UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The temple premises is open from sunrise to sunset. It is best to visit the temple early in the morning when there is less of a crowd, and the climate is cooler. Later bus loads of school and college children arrive from the nearby institutions for a study tour cum picnic, along with the other tourists. There is no entry fee, and parking is available outside the temple premises. Guides and booklets are available from the vendors at the entrance gate. Do bargain for a better price.

Photography is allowed inside the temples as well, except in the sanctum sanctorum. Footwear has to be removed before entering the temple. There is a huge garden around the temple premises where one can enjoy a serene stroll on the neat green lawns with many old trees and flowering bushes.

There are refreshment stalls outside as well, and proper restaurants and shops are just a hop, skip and jump away in the main town. KSTDC runs a lodge by the name of ‘Mayura Shanthala’ just across the road, which has a decent restaurant as well.

This heritage site of India is a must visit, along with the Kesava temple at Belur, about 17 km away, and Shravanabelagola, about 80 km towards Bangalore.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.403: Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu.

Magnificient Temple With Intricate Carvings.

Hoysaleshwara Temple is a 12th century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is the largest monument in Halebeedu, which was the former capital of the Hoysala Empire. It was sponsored by the King Vishnuvardhana. During the early 14th century Halebeedu was sacked and plundered by the Muslim armies of the Delhi Sultanate, whence it fell into a state of ruin and neglect. Halebeedu literally means ‘old camp or capital’. The territory was later taken over by the Vijayanagara Empire.

The Hoysaleshwara Temple actually consists of two twin temples of the same size with their sanctums opening east, facing sunrise. The sanctum of Hoysaleshwara (the King), and Shantaleshwara (the Queen, Shantala Devi), both have a Shiva linga. Outside, on the east both temples have a smaller shrine, each with a seated Nandi, facing the lingas. Further to the east of the southern Nandi is a 7 feet high Surya shrine facing the Nandi.

Many other shrines are missing, and some of the carvings and idols can be seen in the ASI museum located in the same compound. There are many exquisite carvings and friezes on the platforms and walls of the main temples. The temple carvings and walls have been done with soapstone, which is soft when quarried, but hardens over time.

The Halebeedu temples, along with the Kesava temple at Belur, have been proposed to be listed under UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The temple premises is open from sunrise to sunset. It is best to visit the temple early in the morning when there is less of a crowd, and the climate is cooler. Later bus loads of school and college children arrive from the nearby institutions for a study tour cum picnic, along with the other tourists. There is no entry fee, and parking is available outside the temple premises. Guides and booklets are available from the vendors at the entrance gate. Do bargain for a better price.

Photography is allowed inside the temples as well, except in the sanctum sanctorum. Footwear has to be removed before entering the temple. There is a huge garden around the temple premises where one can enjoy a serene stroll on the neat green lawns and under the huge old banyan trees.

There are refreshment stalls outside as well, and proper restaurants and shops are just a hop, skip and jump away in the town of Halebeedu. KSTDC runs a lodge by the name of ‘Mayura Shanthala’ just across the road, which has a restaurant as well.

This heritage site of India is a must visit, along with the Kesava temple at Belur, about 17 km away, and Shravanabelagola, about 80 km towards Bangalore.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.402: Hotel Mayura Shantala, Halebeedu, Karnataka.

Decent Place to Stay in Small Town Halebeedu.

We stayed at this state run KSTDC hotel in Halebeedu when we wanted to explore the famous heritage temples of Halebeedu, Belur and Shravanabelagola. It was bang opposite to the main attraction of Halebeedu, the Hoysaleshwara temple.

The hotel is a well laid out cluster of four cottages in a small compound with small gardens, as well as an outdoor restaurant, with sufficient parking for about 5 cars near the cottages. There was an atmosphere of peace and serenity in the resort. Our room was well furnished with ac and a flat-screen TV. There were two sofas and two tables, a dressing table, and a wardrobe. The bathroom was quite spacious, with a large boiler for hot water. Soap, shampoo and conditioner were provided.

The main dining hall was next to our room, and we would place our order and request them to call us when the food was ready, which they obliged. Service was friendly, and the taste of the food was homely, with fresh ingredients. The menu however was quite limited with very few choices.

Most of the main attractions of Halebeedu were within walking distance to the hotel. Belur is 17 km from Halebeedu, and Shravanabelagole is about 80 km from Halebeedu.

We enjoyed a quiet stay for two days at the hotel.

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Date of stay: December 2018

• Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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My TripAdvisor Review No.401: Bangalore Box (Restaurant).

New Concept in Dining Experience.

We found this place quite by accident, while having lunch at an Udupi restaurant across the road, at Bilkehalli in South Bangalore. We decided to visit this resto-bar for dinner.

The restaurant has used a unique concept of using recycled shipping container boxes as it’s theme. Two floors of the restaurant is housed in the containers, while the third floor has open air terrace dining. Even the furniture and fixtures have equipment re-utilised from shipping containers. The restaurant serves up recipes from across the world in their own unique way.

We ordered their ‘Raw Papaya Salad’ as starter. It was served on a small colourful push-cart. For mains we tried the ‘Veg Manchurian Burger’, ‘Pesto Penne Pasta’ and ‘Beijing Chicken Noodles’. Taste of the food was very good. Service was a bit slow, and priced on the higher side.

We enjoyed the dining experience and would not mind visiting again

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Date of visit: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.400: Namana Garden, Bangalore.

Self Service, Udupi Fast Food Restaurant.

Namana Garden is located in the Vijaya Bank Layout of Bilkehalli in Bengaluru. It is a good place to grab a quick bite of Udupi Fast Food, or a Veg North/South Indian thali. You have to first pay for your item and show the receipt at the open Kitchen window. Your food is ready in 5 or 10 minutes which you collect and proceed to devour it. There are a few tables where you can sit and dine, but there are many more tables without chairs, where you can eat quickly and run back to your job, as many Bangaloreans do.

We enjoyed a North Indian Thali which consisted of a katori of tomato soup, two veggies, one dal, a katori of fried rice, one of curd rice, two rotis, papad and kheer. The food was quite tasty. At ₹90 it was value for money.

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Date of visit: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.399: Vythiri Village Resort, Wayanad, Kerala.

Serene Green Resort in the Wayanad Wilderness

Vythiri Village Resort is located in the eponymous town in the Wayanad district of Kerala. It’s entrance is just off the NH766, which goes to Kozhikode. The lane leading to the gates is very narrow, so one needs to go slow after spotting their signboard which directs you turn off the highway after 50 meters.

Check-in was quick. After parking our car in the huge parking lot we were taken to our room, about a km away, in a resort van. Our room was on the second floor, with a nice view from the glass window, overlooking the river and the hanging bridge, with the hills as a backdrop.

The resort is well spread out over 30 acres of greenery and large trees, located at the base of the hills, and has a small tributary of the Kabini River running through it. There is a hanging bridge which leads to an artificial waterfall and the Infinity pool. But the path leading to infinity pool was steep and rocky, and I found the regular pool, next to the hanging bridge, much better for long swims. Every morning they arrange a complimentary Nature Walk, where a guide takes you outside for a walk in the plantations.

There are a variety of rooms, including the Pool Villas, Jacuzzi Villas, Cottages, Suites and Duplex Suites. As Club Mahindra members we were allotted the deluxe rooms, which had ac, flat-screen TV, e-safe, fridge, tea maker, wardrobe, telephone and wi-fi. Toiletries included a dental kit, besides soap, shampoo and body lotion.

Service was impeccable, and they provided sachets of tea, coffee, milk and sugar or ‘Sugar Free’. The three restaurants; ‘Sky Restaurant’, ‘Tea Garden’ and ‘House Boat’ were under maintenance and not in operation, but there was one main restaurant called ‘Spice Bowl’ where they served ala-carte as well as buffet meals. The tariff was on the higher side but the taste of the Kerala dishes was good. There were very few options to dine out in Vythiri itself, but there were some good restaurants in Kalpetta which is about 10 km away.

There were some good activities in the resort. Swimming, walking, zip lining, trekking, shooting, archery and spa were some of the popular ones. There is also an artist who sketches your portrait, as well as a painter.

The few cons of the resort were; there was some construction activity of a new block of rooms which spoiled the view from the window, and there was some water seepage from the vestibule ceiling, probably from the ac, in the passage near the main door of our room.

But we did enjoy our three days stay, and had a calm and relaxed time, with some sight-seeing.
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Date of stay: December 2018

• Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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My TripAdvisor Review No.398: Affas Udupi Restaurant, Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala.

Excellent Vegetarian Restaurant.

We visited this restaurant for lunch on the way to Vythiri in Wayanad. As we had to pass the town of Kalpetta we decided to park in the Kalpetta Bus Stand pay and park area. The restaurant was just across the road in the market, with a signboard quite prominently displaying “Affas Udupi Restaurant”. They have their own dedicated parking as well, in the hotel compound.

We went up to the mezzanine floor, which is meant for families. It was very neat and clean, though the tables were a bit close to each other. I went for the Kerala Sadya (special meal) served on a plantain leaf, while my wife opted for the Kerala parathas with cucumber raitha, from the ala-carte section.

The sadya is a full meal by itself, and consisted of pickle, papadam, chutney, pineapple raitha, curd, 1 chapati, 2 vegetables, 1 dal, rasam, some banana chips, a little payasam and a small banana at the end. There were two varieties of rice; the regular white rice or the boiled Kerala rice. There was a glass of masala chaas (buttermilk) as well. It was quite a variety, and priced very reasonably at ₹120. Everything tasted very delicious.

This restaurant is a must visit if you like South Indian vegetarian food. The service was also very courteous and friendly. We did not have difficulty in communication, as the waiters understood Hindi and some English as well.

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Saputara Road Trip: Pune - Nashik - Hatgad - Saputara - Trimbakeshwar - Nashik - Pune. (Part 2).

Part 2: Hatgad - Trimbakeshwar - Nashik - Ozar - Pune (Return Trip).

DAY 6: June 22, 2018: Friday. Hatgad – Nashik - Trimbakeshwar.

We had tea and toast and later had a breakfast of MTR 3 minute upma, and a slice of Amul cheese. Geeta made some sandwiches of the remaining cheese slices and bread and we got ready to leave by 10 am. I paid ClubM bill and checked out of the hotel.

We stopped at Curry Leaves Restaurant again at around 11.30 am, to have a snack and a cup of coffee. I had Medu wada and Geeta had sabu dana wada. 

Read my review of Curry Leaves restaurant in TripAdvisor.

Before proceeding to Trimbak we located Khimji Bhagwandas Arogyabhavan (KBA) in the centre of Nashik around 12.30 pm and booked our stay for tomorrow at the place. It seems a neat and clean place to stay, bang in the centre of the Nashik pilgrimage circuit.

We then found our way out from Nashik to Trimbakeshwar with the help of Geeta’s GPS as my phone had become too slow for G-Maps. Once we were out of Nasik city the road to Trimbak was quite broad and clear and we reached MTDC resort at Trimbak by about 1.30 pm. We checked in and off loaded our luggage before going out to find a place for lunch. After walking for almost 30 minutes we saw a small place serving lunch for ₹.60. It consisted of cabbage sabji, chapatti, pickle, a green gravy sabji, rice and dal. Geeta ate sabu dana khichdi specially prepared for her (₹50).

We walked back to our room and rested till 5 pm. Then we took the car and parked it just outside the temple parking lot and walked in to the Trimbakeshwar temple. 

We reached there at 5.30 pm to see the line stretching about 200 metres outside the temple. We had to leave our mobiles at a stall outside by paying ₹.10 and getting a token. Even cameras, handbags and coconuts are not allowed inside. There was a very long Q inside the temple too, bout 200 people standing in an orderly Q between the barricades. We did not pay anything to enter but by paying a donation of ₹.200 per head one could get a quick darshan. We stood for almost 2 hours to get a darshan of the lingam for just one minute. I saw a small lingam with the the painting of a mustachioed man on it and surrounded by the usual puja flowers, and all. We were pushed in by the crowd only during the last part of the entry and I had to push the ghatis back, which made them start protesting, but I stood my ground.

Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple.

The temple has One Of The Twelve Jyotirlingas Of India.

After coming out we had a cup of coffee at Vithal Kamat and bought a bottle of ‘Bailley’ water, and returned to MTDC. We had parked opposite Hotel Krushna Inn, which seemed like a decent pilgrim’s hotel.

MTDC Sanskruti Resort Trimbakeshwar

We decided to have our dinner at the Cafeteria at MTDC. It was in a shack and the kitchen was in another nearby shack. The table covers were dirty and the floor had dog poop. There was a dog and a goose ambling around. The goose looked quite annoyed with us and kept squaking now and then. We had veg kadhai with chapattis  and Geeta had a cup of hot milk. Prices were reasonable and the vegetable was quite tasty and not spicy. The set up needs a lot of improvement. While we had dinner it started raining heavily and we had to take shelter in the manager’s office. He told us that it was the first regular rain of the season and that it rains quite heavily in the monsoons in Trimbakeshwar. We returned to our room at 10 pm and went to sleep at around 11 pm.

Read my TripAdvisor review of  MTDC Holiday Resort at Trimbakeshwar.

DAY 7: June 23, 2018: Saturday. Nashik.

I got up at 6.30 am, after a good night’s rest. I first went for a walk up the Brahmagiri hill. The trek starts from just behind the MTDC Sanskruti Resort at Trimbakeshwar. There are steps leading up to the top of the Brahmagiri hill and the trek is about 3.6 km climb uphill. It will take at least an hour and a half to go all the way up as the slope is quite steep. There were many youngsters starting the trek up at 7 am. I climbed for about half an hour and then turned back, but I took quite a few pics on the way up. 

View while trekking up to Brahmagiri.

The Brahmagiri Hill is considered to be a Huge Form Of Lord Shiva.

After getting back to the room I got a thermos full of tea, from a tea stall near the Kushwaha Teerth water tank. We had tea and toast and then we had breakfast of cheese slice s/ws which Geeta had made at ClubM yesterday. We left from MTDC at 9.30 am and took the back road from behind MTDC which bye-passes Trimbak town and emerges on the highway leading to Nashik city.

After about 3 km we turned right to go to Anjaneri hill. It was a narrow village road which ended after a km and there was an Anjaneri and Bal Hanuman temple. We stopped here to pay homage to Bal Hanuman and Anjaneri Maa at the temple and then turned around to go back to Nashik. The climb to the top of the conical shaped peak is supposed to be tough and take another 2 hours to climb and return.

Anjaneri Mata and Bal Hanuman.

Read more about the Anjaneri Hill and Temple in TripAdvisor.

While driving back to Nashik we decided to visit Sula Vineyards which is supposed to be nearby. In fact, we had to take a left turn about 7 or 8 km from Anjaneri and drive about another 7 km along countryside roads to reach Sula. There were quite a few visitors coming to have a picnic as early as 11 am when we reached. We had to park in an open field which had been converted into a car park and walk in to the gates. We passed a restaurant called ‘Soma’ run by Little Italy. Inside there was another restaurant run by Sula Wines, where you could order their wines and have it with your meals. It was quite expensive, with a plate of onion pakoras costing Rs.265. We had a glass of fresh fruit juice each (Rs.205). Geeta had water melon and I had orange. Even though it was cloudy the climate was quite hot and adding a few cubes of ice to our glasses made it quite enjoyable. 

Sula Vineyards.

There were quite a few visitors who were registering for the wine tasting and tour of the winery for Rs.400 per person. Geeta bought 3 T shirts for us for Rs.500 each and got 1 free. We also visited their hotel which has about 20 luxurious rooms housed in an Italian style hacienda. It was a very cool getaway place set amidst the green vineyards.

Read my review of Sula Vineyards, Intoxicating Place to Visit.

We left from Sula around 12.15 pm and took the Gangapur Road to get back to Nashik. Geeta’s GPS helped us to find our way back, and we reached Khimji Bhagwandas Arogyabhavan (KBA) at 1 pm exactly, and checked into our room and went straight for lunch. We got a simple but tasty Gujarati thali with 2 vegetables, a glass of chaas, papad, dal and rice. Pickle and jaggery were available in small katoris as condiments. We enjoyed the home style khana. Mr. Bharat Thakkar came around asking how we were enjoying the Gujarati food. After lunch we went down to get the rest of our luggage.

Our Room at Khimi Bhagwandas Arogyabhavan.

Read more about this Pilgrim's Inn in the Heart of Holy City Nashik.

We slept soundly from 2 to 4 pm. Then we went down to have some tea and biscuits in the mess. After that we decided to take a rickshaw tour of Nashik Tapovan Panchvati area. Ankush got us a rick driver by the name of Kailash who took us around for Rs.450. He first took us to the Kalaram Mandir, which is a beautiful Ram-Sita temple; built in black stone (even the murtis are black). Then we went to the Sita gumpha where Sita mata had gone into hiding to prevent being kidnapped. Opposite to this was the Sita Apaharan museum with a gaushala which we had to pay a rupee each to enter. There are 5 banyan trees in this area and that is how it has come to be called Panchvati.

Next he took us to a Laxman temple where there was a model of Laxman cutting off the demon Surpanakha’s (Ravana’s sister) nose. This was the Tapovan area where Laxman is supposed to have performed his penance. Next we went to a kund in the river where there is a small temple from where Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh are supposed to have emerged. There were extensive forested gardens in the Tapovan area, but Kailash didn’t stop to show us these gardens; we just saw them in passing.

Ramkund on the banks of the River Godawari.

He then took us to the Kapileshwara temple where we had to climb a few steps to reach up to this temple which had a Shiva lingam. Then we saw another temple with a head which was half Shiva and half Parvati. This was just next to the Ganga Ghat or Ramkund where Geeta lit a lamp on some flowers and let it flow in the water. After this he dropped us back to KBA at 6.20 pm, a sight-seeing trip of less than an hour and a half, but quite enjoyable. It had been cool and cloudy and drizzled at times making the climate quite pleasant. We also had a kulfi stick outside the Laxman temple.

Read my TripAdvisor reviews of the various attractions in Nashik:
Shree Laxmanji Temple., Kapileswara Temple., Sita Gumpha., Kalaram Temple., Ramkund., Ganga Ghat.

Around 7.45 pm I went down to the market next to the riverside ghats and bought some fresh lemons. Then the waiters came to call us for dinner at 8.15 pm. We got a gravy potato dish, some curry, papad, khichdi with some ghee and methi theplas.

After dinner we went down again to buy some dried raisins as the vendor had a variety of raisins costing between Rs.150 to Rs.300 a kilo. We bought one variety for Rs.260, and he forced us to buy another 135 gms of the 300 rupee one, which has some medicinal value (black makuna with seeds) and is supposed to be good for diabetics.

Later I stood out in the small balcony of our room, enjoying the cool breeze blowing up from the Ganga ghat below. It was fascinating to stand there and just look down at the Nashik pilgrimage sites from the 3rd floor vantage point from where we can see the whole city with it's twinkling lights, and the low hanging clouds.

DAY 8: June 24, 2018: Sunday. Nashik -Ozar.

I got up at 6.30 am, and went for a walk along the banks of the Godavari River. Some people were having a bath in the holy river. There is a changing room for women on the first floor of the building next to the bathing ghats. I walked up to the main road near the ‘Ganga Ghat’ and then walked across the bridge to the Sundarnarayan Temple which was under renovation, then walked back taking some pics along the way and returned to the room at 7.40 am. 

We had some tea with toast in the room and then we went down to the mess for breakfast. There are only 4 tables with 4 chairs each so a limited number of people can eat at a time. That is why they probably send the waiters to call us for the meal when the tables are empty. They gave us 3 batata wadas each along with ketchup and 2 fried chillies each for breakfast, followed by a cup of coffee. We  got ready to leave KBA by 10 am.

The routes shown on GPS maps seemed quite confusing, Google maps showing a route via Tapovan. I asked the watchman who told us to go straight via the cremation ground and then take a right turn till we reached Dwarka Circle. From there it was straight under the flyover and we were on NH-60 leading to Pune. There was not much traffic being a Sunday and we were soon speeding along to Sinnar.

Around 11.15 am we stopped at a wayside restaurant by the name of Krushna Garden and had onion pakoras and coffee. We reached Alephata, 124 km from KBA Nashik, at 12.55 pm and took a right turn to go to Otur. From Otur it was 9 km along a bumpy road to Ozar. We reached Ozar at 1.30 pm after covering the 149 km in 2 and half hours (excluding the stop for snacks).

We checked in to a non ac room at Hotel Aryaa Regency in Ozar. Being cloudy the climate was pleasant and we did not need ac. We met Milind Kavade, the owner of the hotel, who was a pleasant gentleman, in his 40s and quite friendly. We went down for lunch and had Mushroom Baby Corn masala with rotis and a cup of curd.

Read my TripAdvisor review on this Clean and Well Maintained Hotel in Small Town Ozar.

We slept for 2 hours in the afternoon and then had some snacks. We went down for tea/coffee and then went to the Vignahar Ganpati mandir. There was not too much of a crowd and we had a peaceful darshan and returned within half an hour. Then I went for another short walk checking out some other lodges, but they were not up to Aryaa’s standard even though their charges were only Rs.500.

Back in our cozy room, we did some channel surfing on their small TV, and then went down for dinner at 8.30 pm. We decided to have some Chinese food.

Ozar Ganpati Temple.

DAY 9: June 25, 2018: Monday. Back to Pune.

We got up at 6.40 am, and had a cup of tea and toast at 7.15 am, but  I didn’t go for a walk as it was drizzling. We heard the aarti from the Ganpati temple at 7 am and it lasted for about 10 minutes.

We went down at 7.30 am for an early breakfast and I had a masala dosa and Geeta had sabu-dana khichdi, followed by a cup of tea. I liked the taste of their elaichi tea. Then we got ready to leave Ozar by 10 am, after settling the hotel bill. 

The road from Ozar to Narayangaon was still in a poor state, and we did get stuck in the Narayangaon traffic for about 10 minutes. Even Rajgurunagar and Manchar were bottlenecks but the road was better up to Chakan. At Chakan again we got stuck in traffic for 20 minutes. We turned left to Alandi about 2 km after the Chakan signal (this avoided one toll naka and the traffic at the Moshi signal), and the Alandi road seemed to have been resurfaced. We reached Alandi in 10 minutes from Chakan. After Alandi there was medium traffic all the way to Yerawada. 

We were back home at  1 pm. Total distance covered for the trip was 773 km to Saputara and back.