My TripAdvisor Review No.308: Cuisine Papera, Gonikoppal, Coorg.

Cuisine Papera - Excellent Authentic Coorgi Cuisine.

Review of Papera

Reviewed yesterday

On the way to Virajpet Coorg we stopped at Gonikoppal and found this restaurant called ‘Cuisine Papera’ serving traditional Kodava veg and non-veg food. In fact, this was the second time we stopped to dine here. It is located on the 3rd floor of a shopping arcade which also houses the ‘More Superstore’ and some vehicle spare parts shops. Parking is available in the compound.

We had to climb the staircase up to the restaurant, and it was very well decorated with traditional Kodava tools, utensils, and agricultural implements and weavers crafts.

The menu had many Kodava dishes, including pork, fish, chicken and mutton as well as vegetarian dishes. Once we tried their local fish fry, which I think was called Angel Fish. On the second occasion we dined on Mughlai Kadai Paneer with naan and roti. The taste was very good and peppery, as this spice is grown in the local plantations and they make liberal use of it. Black pepper used to be called the black gold of this region. Of course, you can request them to put less of it in your dish.

Service was good and courteous, and the prices were quite reasonable. At the end of your meal they served some betel leaves, cut areca nut, fennel and some sugar coated digestives so that we could make our own complimentary ‘paan’.

‘Papera Inn’ located above the restaurant houses 20 rooms where you can stop for the night, and they also run a home stay at Nelji village where you can enjoy a plantation stay.

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• Stayed: February 2018, travelled as a couple
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My TripAdvisor Review No.307: Hidimbeshwar Temple, Chitradurga, Karnataka.

Ancient Temple in Chitrdurga Fort.

This temple is located on top of a hill inside the Chitradurga Fort itself. It is one of the 18 temples inside the fort so there is no separate entry fee.

According to a story in the epic Mahabharata, a man eating demon named Hidimba and his sister Hidimbi lived on this hill. Hidimba would terrorise the people around while Hidimbi was peace loving. When the Pandavas were passing from here in the course of their exile, with their mother Kunti, Bhima fought and killed Hidimba. Bhima then married Hidimbi, and they had a son named Ghatotkacha, who had magical powers. According to legend the boulders that we saw lying around the hill was part of the arsenal used in the battle.

We had to climb up some steps to reach the top of the hill. The temple is built in stone but not used for worship any more. It is surrounded by a protective railing and you can get a good view of the surroundings from the top. The city of Chitradurga can be seen in the valley below, and we enjoyed the stiff breeze blowing across the hilltop.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.306: Chitradurga Fort, Karnataka.

Picturesque Fort.

This amazing stone fort located in the town and district by the same name, in the state of Karnataka, was originally called Chitrakaldurga, which means picturesque fort in Kannada language. It is about 200 km north of Bengaluru city on the National Highway No.48, which connects with Pune.

The fort is laid out in a series of seven concentric fortification walls with interconnecting passages. There are many warehouses for grains and oil, interconnecting tanks to harvest rain water, many temples and one masjid. The fort was built in stages between the 11th and 13th centuries CE, by the dynastic rulers at that time including the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas and the Nayaks of Chitradurga. The fort was taken over by Hyder Ali in 1779, and captured by the British 20 years later when they defeated his son Tipu Sultan.

We stayed overnight at Hotel Mayura Yatrinawas and visited the fort early next morning. The gates are open from 6 am to 6 pm and there is a token entry fee of Rs.15. There are no charges for still camera. Guides are available for around Rs.300, but not really necessary because there are boards, put up by the ASI, near the monuments with interesting details about each monument.

We had a lot of walking and climbing to do, as we ascended to the higher reaches of the fort, which is spread out over 1500 acres of hilly and rocky terrain. The huge blocks of granite which make up the ramparts blended well with the boulder strewn landscape, and reminded us of the terrain of the Hampi heritage site, with its monuments and temples in the midst of huge rocks and boulders.

We visited the Ganesh temple, the Hidimbeshwara temple, the ‘Onake Obavva Kindi’, the granaries, and the water and oil tanks. It is said that the fort never faced any water shortages because of its unique rain water harvesting tanks.

Hyder Ali besieged the Chitradurga Fort thrice between 1760 and 1779. Obavva, the wife of a soldier guarding the fort, was substituting her husband during a lunch break, on one such attack. She heard some attackers trying to infiltrate through a crevice in the fort, and hiding behind the crevice hit and killed many of Hyder’s soldiers with an Onake (pestle). Her heroics have made her a legend in the folklore of Karnataka state, and there is a statue commemorating her bravery in Chitradurga town.

We had only about 3 hours to explore the fort and so we did not attempt to climb the surrounding hills and battlements. But I can definitely say that there is much more to see here. A history or archaeology buff can easily spend the whole day at Chitradurga Fort, especially if he also likes rock climbing. It is also a landscape photographer’s delight.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.305: Hotel Mayura Yatriniwas, Chitradurga, Karnataka.

Good Property to Explore the Nearby Chitradurga Fort.

Review of Hotel Mayura Yatrinivas Chitradurga

Reviewed yesterday

This Government run KSTDC hotel is located bang opposite the ancient Chitradurga Fort, 200 km north of Bangalore. Not only is it a good base to explore the famous Chitradurga Fort, but is also a good stopover for someone travelling from Pune to Bangalore along the National Highway No.48.

We stopped here for an overnight stay on the way from Badami to Bangalore. Chitradurga is about 320 km from Badami. We left Badami at 10.30 am, stopped near Hubli for lunch and reached Chitradurga by 5 pm. It is about 3 km off the main highway. If you cannot find it on G-Maps, ask any local the way to the Fort

We had booked an ac double room online. The rates are slightly higher on the weekends. The room was well furnished, neat and clean. There was a king size double bed, a small Onida LCD TV, a full sized cupboard, a round coffee table with two sofa chairs, a writing table, and a dressing table. The bathroom was smaller compared to the one at KSTDC Badami, but adequate with a large boiler for hot water. There was also a nice sit-out with lovely greenery and a good view of the fort. The surroundings are scenic and peaceful.

The restaurant was fairly well equipped and the service was good. Most of the items on the menu were Indian dishes, both veg and non-veg. We had dal fry with parothas for dinner. The dosas for breakfast were exceptionally tasty.

We explored the fort early in the morning and relaxed till 12 noon (check-out time) after breakfast, well in time to reach Bangalore by evening.

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• Stayed: February 2018, travelled as a couple
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My TripAdvisor Review No.304: Lad Khan Temple, Aihole, Karnataka.

Old Shiva Temple with a Misleading Name.

The Lad Khan Temple is in the Durga Temple Complex at Aihole, about 35 km from Badami. It is probably the oldest temple in the complex dating back to 450 CE. It is actually a Shiva temple, with a Shiva Lingam in the inner sanctum, with a seated Nandi Bull statue facing the lingam.

The temple has a misleading name of a Muslim commander Lad Khan, under Adil Shahi Sultan of Bijapur, who briefly camped here during a campaign, almost a thousand years after the temple was built.

We visited this temple after spending a lot of time at the Durga Temple, which is the main attraction of Aihole. This temple also has good architecture with intricately carved pillars, and the walls have floral designs. The temple is lit with natural light coming in from the lattice windows. The ceiling is covered by log shaped stone bars, making it look like an ancient wooden temple with timber construction.

It is one of the better temples in Aihole, and worth a visit.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.303: Durga Temple, Aihole Village, Bagalkot District, Karnataka.

Iconic Temple of Aihole.

The Durga Temple is the iconic and best known temple among the more than 100 temples in the remote village of Aihole in North Karnataka. You may think that it gets its name from Goddess Durga, but this is not the case; it is called so because of its proximity to the ruins of a fort like enclosure or Durg (Fort). It was built during the reign of King Vikramaditya II in the late 6th to early 8th century CE.

We drove 35 km from Badami to Aihole via Pattadakal. The last stretch of the road from Pattadakal to Aihole, about 12 km was in a very bad shape, and overnight rain (in February) had made it even more difficult to navigate. Still, the majesty and grandeur of the monuments and temple, in such a remote village, made it worth the while.

The temple is located in an enclosure also known as the Durga Temple Complex. There is a parking lot outside. We had to pay Rs.30 per head as entry fee. The Complex is very well looked after by the ASI; there were very neatly laid out lawns, washroom and drinking water coolers near the Museum and Art Gallery.

There are some more temples in the complex, but the Durga Temple, with its apsidal layout and exquisite design overshadowed them all. The temple is built on a raised platform, with a colonnaded corridor running around it. We saw beautiful life size carvings of Shiva, Vishnu in his various avatars, Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu), Goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon, goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, and many friezes depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There were also smaller friezes depicting the scenes from daily life and amorous couples in various stages of courtship. The general condition of the sculptures was good, though some had been damaged or defaced.

One can easily spend an hour or two just admiring the mastery of the temple artisans. Guides can be hired at the entrance gates, if you have not already studied about it before coming here. Thankfully there were no charges for using a still camera and I took quite a number of photos of the sculptures and friezes. We had to tear ourselves away as there was much more to see in Aihole.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.302: Aihole, Bagalkot District, Karnataka.

Cradle of Hindu Rock Arcitecture.

Aihole is a remote village in the Bagalkot district of North Karnataka, lying next to the Malaprabha River.

We visited the ancient rock and cave temples of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole over three days, making Badami as our base. We drove to Aihole village (35 km from Badami), then stopped at Pattadakal (22 km from Badami) on the way back. The road between Pattadakal and Aihole was in a miserable condition, and overnight rain had made some patches most difficult to navigate. Still, I would say that the majesty and beauty of the temples at Aihole made it all worth it.

We visited only the main temple complex, also known as the Durga Temple Complex, at Aihole, which encloses about seven major monuments. None of these temples were in active worship, so we did not have to take off our shoes to enter. Besides the Durga Temple there was the Suryanarayana temple, the Lad Khan temple, Gaudargudi temple, Chakragudi temple, the Badigargudi temple, and a large stepwell with a small Hindu shrine. The Aihole Museum and Art Gallery is also housed in this complex, with well preserved pieces of statues and temple art.

The Jyotirlinga Temple complex was located across the road near the parking lot in a walled compound. They were small to medium Shiva shrines but mostly in ruins.

There are more than about 100 other temples and caves in Aihole, but we only saw them in passing because of lack of time and difficulty of walking in the sludge and slush caused by the rain. We saw the Triyambakeshwara temple which was in Aihole village, and the Kuntigudi complex. We did not venture to climb the Meguti Hill, with a Jain Temple; neither did we climb up to the Ravana Pahadi Cave.

The temples and rock cut caves of Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami showcase the evolution and fusion of North and South Indian styles of Architecture. Whereas most of the evidence has been destroyed in North India, here in Aihole you can still witness how it evolved in between the 4th and 8th centuries CE. No wonder that Aihole has been nick named as the ‘Cradle of Indian Temple Architecture’.

It is better to visit early in the morning to avoid the mid-day heat. There is a token entry fee of Rs.30 for Indians. Architecture and History buffs can spend the whole day at Aihole, and still not be satisfied.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.301: Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal.

Largest Shiva Temple of Pattadakal.

The Virupaksha Temple is the largest and best Shiva temple of Pattadakal. It was constructed in the Dravidian style of temple architecture by Lokamahadevi, the Senior Queen of Vikramaditya II, to commemorate her husband’s victory over the Pallavas of Kanchipuram, in the year 740 CE.

Inside the temple sanctum was a Shiva Lingam which we walked around. We also saw two small shrines with facing images of Ganesha and Parvati, in her Durga avatar, slaying the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. There is a Nandi mandapa in front, where we met a temple priest performing live puja besides the large monolithic Nandi Bull.

There were a lot of cravings and sculptures on the inner walls of the temple and mandapams, depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There were a lot of inscriptions too, in different parts of the temple, recording the victory of King Vikramaditya II over Kanchipuram.

The famous Kailasha Temple at Ellora in Maharashtra is believed to have been modelled along the design of this temple.

This temple is the only one in Pattadakal where live worship is performed on a daily basis, so we had to enter with bare feet. The other temples are just grand monuments, but where no worship is carried out in the present day, so these can be seen without taking off our footwear.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.300: Group of Monuments at Pattadakal.

History of the Chalukyan Empire Preserved in Stone.

We visited the Pattadakal and Aihole Temple Complexes on the same day. The 22 km drive from Badami to Pattadakal was quite smooth except for the last 2 km, where the road work was still in progress. Pattadakal is now a remote village in North Karnataka.

All the monuments are enclosed in a walled compound and there is an entry fee of Rs.30 per head for Indians and citizens of SAARC Asian countries, and Rs.500 per head for other foreigners. There is ample parking space outside the compound.

The temples date back to between the 7th and 9th centuries AD, when the Chalukyan rulers allowed their artisans and craftsmen to experiment with different architectural styles. Hence you will see a blend of the South Indian Dravidian style, and the North Indian Nagara style of architecture. There is one Jain temple also. The temples were used by the Chalukyans during their coronation ceremonies.

There are about 10 different temples, namely the Siddheshwara, Jambulingeshwara, Galaganatha, Chandrasekhara, Sangameshwara, Kashi Vishwanatha, Mallikarjuna, Virupaksha, Papanatha, and the Jain Narayana. They are mostly dedicated to Lord Shiva, except the last one. There is also a Victory Pillar with inscriptions in old Kannada language from the time of Emperor Vikramaditya II. Only one temple, the Virupaksha temple with a Nandi Bull, is still active with live worshippers on a daily basis.

We covered all the temples in an hour, and then went outside in search of a good place for lunch. However we did not find any modern eatery, and decided to sample the local village cuisine. We found a place serving simple home cooked vegetarian thalis for Rs.50 per head. They served jowari rotis with 2 vegetables, some chutney, and sambar rice. We enjoyed our simple meal in the rustic village setting.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.299: Flamingo Hill Restaurant, Malshej Ghat.

Dining Hall of MTDC Malshej Ghat.

We had been to this restaurant when we visited Malshej Ghat and stayed at the MTDC Resort. In fact it is the only decent restaurant in the Malshej Ghat area which serves non vegetarian food.

We would have our breakfast at this place. They served poha, upma, sheera, idli and misal pav for breakfast, and these items were reasonably good. Dosas were never available whenever we asked for it.

We would have our dinner here too. The service was lack-lustre. They serve in plastic plates, and we had to sit on metal chairs and tables. Many of the dishes mentioned on the menu were not available. There was no tandoor during the off season, so tandoori rotis or naan was not available. We had to make do with chapattis or rice.

Once we ordered alu gobi masala dry. It was tasty but a little extra spicy. On another occasion we tried their Veg Kadhai, which was OK. One evening, we wanted to have ‘Kanda Bhajjis’, but were told that it would take time to prepare. So we skipped it. Coffee and tea were OK.

Since there is no other restaurant nearby, we had no choice but to sample their fare. Their service can definitely improve, which will also take the rating of the MTDC Resort a notch higher.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.298: Lodwick Point, Mahabaleshwar.

Two Points in One Long Walk.

Lodwick Point is one of the less frequented look-out point in the hills of Mahabaleshwar, but more scenic than many of the other points. It is about 5 km from the market place, on a right turn before reaching the Mahad checkpost.

We visited this point one evening to observe the sunset from here, instead of going to the more crowded Sunset (Bombay) Point. We had to park our car in the small parking lot and walk about 2 km to reach the monument dedicated to the memory of General Peter Lodwick. The monument was erected by his son in 1874. The tower was struck down by lightening in 1973 and reinstalled by the Mahabaleshwar Hotels Association, along with the safety railings leading to the Elephant’s Head Point, in the year 1995. General Lodwick was one of the first Europeans to set foot on the hills of Mahabaleshwar in the 19th century.

After observing the monument we had to walk another 250 metres or so along the narrow path, protected by railings on both sides, to an overhanging rock known as the Elephant’s Head Point. The view from here makes you feel like you are standing on Lord Ganesha’s head surveying all creation below. The walk along the ridge leading to the head is very exciting as there is a steep drop on either side of the ridge, till you reach the rock where you are standing level with the clouds. If you are lucky you will catch the lovely sunset.

The walk to the end is about 2 km, and along rubble strewn jungle track, so do wear sturdy shoes, especially in the rainy season.There are some refreshment stalls at the parking lot.

Lodwick Point and Elephant’s Head are definitely worth a visit.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.297: Gureghar Nature Trail, Mahabaleshwar.

Nature At Its Best.

Triveni Point and Gureghar Nature Trail is one of the lesser known attractions of Mahabaleshwar, maybe because it is at a little distance away from the hill station. It is located bang opposite Mapro Garden, which is a major attraction for shopping and dining, on the Panchagani – Mahabaleshwar Road. Most of the tourists visit Mapro Garden and overlook the Gureghar Nature Trail, and hence miss out on one of the most beautiful points of Mahabaleshwar, the Triveni Point, which lies at the end of the 1 km long trail.

We entered through a small gate leading to the trail. Vehicles are not allowed inside. We walked at a leisurely pace up the narrow winding stony pathway which was gently sloping upwards. At times the slope would get steeper and there are rocks and stones on the path. There are trees and bushes on both sides of the trail and we were literally walking in a jungle. Some of the trees had a placard with their common and botanical names attached to them, like jambul, hirda, gella and pissa. There were stone benches at regular intervals so we could rest for a while.

After walking about 20 minutes we reached the watch tower which is the Triveni Point. We got an excellent 360 degree view of the whole Panchgani Mahabaleshwar plateau from here.

It is an easy to do trail by people of all age groups. We started on the trail at around 11 am and were back on the highway at noon. We did not encounter any other tourist on the way. We had only the birds and the bees, trees and forest for company. It is a beautiful place to experience nature at its best. Do remember to wear your trekking shoes and carry your camera when you visit, and not to litter the trail with your garbage.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.296: MTDC Holiday Resort, Mahabaleshwar.

Economic Rooms.

We liked MTDC Mahabaleshwar so much, that we decided to stay here again once again. This time we chose the Economic Rooms so that we could stay for longer. The normal rate for the Economic rooms is Rs.1200, and being senior citizens we got an additional 10% discount. We spent a whole week at the resort and had a very relaxed vacation.

The only disadvantage of an Economic room compared to the Standard one is that it is located behind in the main compound of the resort, and we have to walk a bit to get to the restaurant and the reception. The size of the two rooms is the same. Both have a CRT TV set, a good size bathroom with a boiler, a dressing table, a coffee table, and a small sit-out. Towel and bath soap is provided, but no shampoo. The room was cleaned daily on request, and the service boy was quite helpful and friendly.

There was less noise from the cars coming in and out of the resort, since the room was behind. Every morning we would hear the birds twittering in the huge trees just outside our rooms. There was a small playground for children nearby, but we could only see monkeys occasionally. In fact, the monkeys were the only ones creating a racket when they jumped up and down on the roof sometimes, but sometimes we had some noisy guests in the next room, during the weekend.

There are two restaurants nearby, run by different caterers. The first one is ‘Atithi’ which is attached to MTDC, where the service was not so good, and many of the items on the menu were not available. We generally went to ‘Sonali’ near the Rajbavan complex towards the remote end of the resort, where the service and availability of food was much better, including non vegetarian. We would have their poha, idli, dosa and omelette toast for breakfast. For lunch and dinner we usually drove down to the market about 2 km away and tried different restaurants.

It is definitely better to stay at MTDC if you have your own vehicle, but taxis are also easily available or you can request the reception to arrange one for you for short trips or sight-seeing. Wi-Fi is only available at the reception, and mobile connectivity is very weak in and around the resort.

All in all, we had a very relaxed and peaceful stay at MTDC Mahabaleshwar, and the Economic rooms allowed us to stay for a full week on a limited budget.

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Room Tip: Larger families can stay in the cottages. Aircon suites and cottages are also available.

• Stayed: March 2018, travelled as a couple
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