My TripAdvisor Review No.178: Sasivekalu Ganesha, Hampi.

“Ganesha Idol Shaped Like a Mustard Seed.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

This is second largest monolithic stone statue of Ganesha in Hampi. It is about 8 feet tall and is called Sasivekalu because of its resemblance in shape to a mustard seed. The statue is seated in half lotus posture.

There is an interesting story regarding this Ganesha idol. Lord Ganesha is well known for being a greedy eater. One day he ate so much that his tummy almost burst. So he caught hold of a snake and tied it round his tummy to stop it bursting. You can see the stone snake coiled around his belly. He has four arms in one of which he his holding his broken tusk.

This idol is located at the southern foothill of the Hemakuta hill.

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Visited January 2016

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

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My TripAdvisor Review No.177: Kadalekai Ganesha, Hampi.

“Huge Ganesha Idol in Stone.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This is one of the largest stone Ganesha Idols I have ever seen. It is about 18 feet tall and has four arms and a pot belly. It is placed in a big pillared inner sanctum. It gets its name from its shape in the form of a groundnut or Bengal gram, and is supposed to have been built from the donations of a groundnut trader.

It is a monolithic statue which has been carved from a single stone.

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Visited January 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d7265567-r368108310-Kadalekai_Ganesha-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.176: Lotus Mahal (Palace), Hampi.

“Well Preserved and Beautiful Architecture.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This monument is to the north of the Mahanavami Dibba inside a compound with a high wall. It is very near to the Elephant Stables.

It is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture. It is a two storied building, built in such a way as to facilitate air circulation within the rooms which were kept cool. There was also some arrangements for water to flow through nearby as the building is surrounded by beautiful green lawns.

It was supposed to be a rest house for the Queens.

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Visited January 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d4138632-r367262662-Lotus_Palace-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.175: Pushkar Sweets, Pune.

“Excellent Snacks and Sweets.”

Reviewed 1 week ago

This is not a regular restaurant, but more of a carry away snacks and sweet shop. We go there quite often to buy the sweets during festival days, especially Diwali and Holi. On other days we get the typical Indian and Rajasthani snacks like dhokla, khandvi, bhels, and other savoury snacks like puris, kachoris, and samosas.

They also have a good assortment of Bengali sweets, dry fruit, cold drinks and ice-creams. Sometimes we buy their homemade chocolates and these are very good.

The staff is cordial and friendly, and their rates are reasonable. The shop is air conditioned.

• Visited April 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d7815983-r363228589-Pushkar_Sweets-Pune_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.174: Hotel Sai International, Yelur (NH4).

“Good Hotel for a Night Halt, near Kolhapur.”

Reviewed 1 week ago

This is a good hotel if you wish to take a break in your long drive between Bangalore to Pune or Mumbai. It is located on the highway itself (NH4) about 32 km from Kolhapur and 38 km before Karad as you are moving towards Pune. You do not have to enter the city of Kolhapur and can hence avoid the city traffic.

The rooms are clean, spacious and reasonably priced. The bathrooms are also large and well equipped. You have a choice of ac and non-ac rooms. There is a separate restaurant for the hotel guest which serves good Kolhapuri food, as well as some Chinese dishes. There is a Food Court also, which is more popular with the travellers on NH4. It is a better option for breakfast and fast food items.

We halted here for the night when we were returning from Bangalore to Pune, and had a good night’s rest before resuming our trip the next morning. There was not much noise from highway traffic as the room had good sound insulation when we kept the window closed.

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• Stayed January 2016, travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1162197-d1737276-r361390770-Hotel_Sai_International-Sangli_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.173: Mumbai (Sunset) Point, Mahabaleshwar.

“Just Another View Point.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

There are many viewing points in Mahabaleshwar from where you can get mesmerising views of the hills and valleys around, and Mumbai Point is one of them. This one is facing west towards Mumbai hence the name.

In the evening most of the tourists of this hill resort head towards this point and the area becomes like a stadium. The main performer is the ‘Sun-God’. It slowly starts sinking towards the horizon and the audience madly click snaps with their cameras and cellphones as it goes down below the Arabian Sea in the distance.

There is a small garden with a gazebo in the centre and a lot of entertainment and snack stalls around. One can also go for a horse ride near the point.

Mumbai Point gets too overcrowded in the evenings, and finding parking can be a problem on weekends. A better option is Lodwick Point nearby or Elphinstone Point, to enjoy a more serene sunset.

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Visited March 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g635749-d1754623-r360805875-Mumbai_Point_Sunset_Point-Mahabaleshwar_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.172: MTDC Holiday Resort Mahabaleshwar.

“For that Genuine Hill Station Ambience.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

MTDC Mahabaleshwar resort is located far from the madding crowd that defines this hill town during a long weekend or a vacation. Although it is situated just about a kilometre from the Mahabaleshwar market, its ambience is very soothing as it is set amidst the deep forests and meandering pathways of the hill station.

Being a Government run property gives it the advantage of being in one of the best locations, but at the same time the maintenance of the buildings and internal fixtures could be better. They have a range of different types of rooms, from luxurious suites to cottages, standard, as well as economy rooms. Bookings can also be done online.

There is a decent restaurant named ‘Sonali’ in the MTDC campus which serves Indian and Chinese food. However we were a bit disappointed as the tandoori items were not available in the off-season. There is another open air restaurant towards the PWD Section of the resort campus, and the food served here was also reasonably good. My wife also visited the Ayurvedic spa named ‘Chirayu’ and was quite happy with the very reasonably priced head, neck and shoulder massages.

We enjoyed the morning and evening walks in the resort campus itself, listening to the chirruping of the plentiful birds. The resort is just a 15 minute walk from the famous Bombay (Sunset) Point, which becomes like a mini stadium in the evenings. But we got to see beautiful sunsets from the resort campus itself by walking towards the PWD Section, which is just a 5 minute walk from the reception office. Children can enjoy the small playground within the resort, or be entertained by the antics of resident monkeys.

All in all we had a very calm and relaxing holiday as we had gone on a weekday in the off-season, but I believe the next weekend, which was a long 4 day weekend had been booked more than a month in advance.

Room Tip: Standard rooms are closer to the restaurant than the Economy rooms, though they are almost the same...

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• Stayed March 2016, travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g635749-d1489812-r360280438-MTDC_Holiday_Resort_Mahabaleshwar-Mahabaleshwar_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.171: Nalknad Palace, Kakkabe, Coorg.

“A Hideout for the King.”

Reviewed 1 week ago

The palace is about 25 km from Virajpet in the South of Coorg (Kodagu) district. It is about 2 km off the Virajpet – Talacauvery road, near the town of Kakkabe. There is a small turn-off on the left as you are coming from Virajpet. The last 1 km is a very rough and rocky road.

The Nalknad Palace is not a real palace, but a hide-out of the old Kodagu kings, to escape their enemies during war time. Some of their enemies were the British, as well as Tipu Sultan. The palace seemed to be in a state of disrepair, but still looked very regal.

It is in the midst of the forests on a hill, and surrounded by the tall peaks of the Western Ghats. The tallest peak of Coorg, the Tadiayandamol, is visible in the background and is about 6 km from the palace. Trekker’s start their trek to this peak from near here.

Photography was prohibited inside the palace, but we took many snaps outside. There was a lone guide cum watchman who showed us around the palace, and we left him a small tip.The guide showed us the ancient wall and ceiling paintings, as well as a secret passage and a dark room inside the palace.

The surroundings were very calm and beautifully forested and green.

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Visited January 2016

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

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My TripAdvisor Review No.170: Upsouth Restaurant, Mandya, Bangalore-Mysore Highway.

“Expensive Fast Food.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

Upsouth is in a food mall by the name of ‘Right-O’ which had about 6 or 7 newly opened restaurants. It is located about 10 km from Mandya towards Mysore on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. The mall looked very attractive from outside and was quite clean from inside too. We decided to stop and have a quick brunch on the way from Bangalore to Virajpet (Coorg).

We chose to have dosas and idlis followed by filter coffee from Upsouth. However the service was slow and we had to wait about half an hour after making the payment. Taste of the food was quite ordinary considering that one gets such great tasting idlis and dosas in Karnataka, and we paid more than what we pay at a normal Udupi restaurant.

The only redeeming factor was that we got to use the clean washrooms of the food mall.

• Visited January 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g2078495-d7924520-r355205951-Upsouth-Mandya_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.169: Indradhanush Restaurant, Channapatna, Mysore-Bangalore Highway.

“Decent Break on Mysore - Bangalore Highway.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

Indradhanush is a very good vegetarian restaurant, located in a food court called ‘Milestone-67’. As the name implies it is exactly 67 km from Bangalore, and 7 km from Channapatna going towards Mysore, in a small village called Mudugere. It is on the right side if you are going towards Mysore. The other restaurants in Milestone-67 include; CCD, KFC and Indradhanush Ice Creams.

We stopped here for lunch while driving from Coorg to Bangalore, and were quite impressed with the ambience and the food. There was sufficient parking space in a shady compound which had some gardens and mango trees. The restaurant served tasty North and South Indian vegetarian dishes. The restaurant was very clean and had excellent washrooms.

The menu was well designed and each dish had a short description about it. We ordered a South Indian thali, ragi roti with tomato chutney, and a rawa idli. We quite enjoyed the dishes. Our bill amount was only Rs.220 which we found very reasonable.

We then shared a kesar-pista ice-cream from the Indradhanush ice-cream parlour.

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• Visited January 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1898393-d4025870-r354918629-Indradhanush-Channapatna_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.168: Igguthappa Temple, Coorg, Karnataka.

“Beautiful Temple in a Natural Setting.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

This temple is about 30 km from Virajpet in the South of Coorg (Kodagu) district. It is about 2 km off the Virajpet – Talacauvery road, near the town of Kakkabe.

Lord Igguthappa is an important deity for the local Kodavas. He is considered to be a provider of food and the one who fulfills his devotee’s desires. During the harvest festival, paddy is first harvested in the fields belonging to the Lord, and only then the people of Kodagu celebrate the festival.

We were lucky to visit this temple around noon time, and see the special ceremonies being carried out that day. The idol was taken out in a procession around the temple on the head of the priest to bless all the devotees who were present. Later all the devotees were served with a sumptuous lunch. We were served by one of the priests himself, Shri Lava Kumar, as a guest in his house. We were happy to receive his blessings.

The temple is located in a very natural and beautiful setting, surrounded by hills and forests. It is definitely a must visit if you are in Coorg.

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Visited January 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g503697-d3207795-r354308006-Igguthappa_Temple-Kodagu_Coorg_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.167: Club Mahindra Virajpet, Coorg.

“An Enchanting Plantation Resort.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

Club Mahindra’s Virajpet Resort is located about 13 km from Virajpet town, in the middle of the coffee plantations of Coorg (Kodagu).

We drove down from Bangalore via Mysore, Hunsur and Gonikoppal, and it took us about 6 hours with a few breaks in between. The roads were generally good, except for the last 5 km. In fact the last 2 km were under repairs when we arrived and we had to drive our car over large stones which were being used to pave the road. Hope it is done by now. They have a large parking area, and a separate area for self/owner driven cars.

We had a smooth check-in, and Chandni from reception walked us to our Studio room while introducing us to the resort, which is spread out 37 acres of a coffee plantation. They also arrange for a guided but chargeable walk every morning for the guests. Each block of rooms is named after a species of butterfly, because the plantation had a huge population of butterflies before becoming a resort. Each room has a butterfly poster as a decoration. There is a large clean swimming pool and tracks laid out for walking among the trees and plants.

Our air-conditioned room was quite spacious and clean, and there was a nice sit-out. We had a dry kitchenette with a microwave oven, tea maker, toaster, crockery and cutlery. The housekeeping staff were very helpful and courteous and always enquiring if we required anything.

There are two large restaurants, one serving buffet and the other ala-carte. There is also a room delivery service called ‘Gourmet Express’. There are no restaurants outside the resort nearby. One has to travel at least 13 km to Virajpet to try out the local cuisine. We tried the ala-carte restaurant ‘Coorgenburg’ and the food was quite tasty. We also made good use of the kitchenette and dining table in our room.

The area around the resort is surrounded by forest and plantations, and the sight-seeing places are few and far between. It is a long drive to the Nagarhole NP and the Iruppu Falls. One can visit the St.Anne’s Church and Ganesha Temple in Virajpet town, and shop for local products. We enjoyed driving to the Iguthappa Temple and Nalknad Palace which is relatively close, and got a view of the Thadiayadamol peak, the highest mountain in Coorg.

On the whole, we had a nice stay and enjoyed our holiday experience at this plantation paradise.

Room Tip: Choose rooms closer to the forest at the far end to enjoy the morning bird calls.

See more room tips

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• Stayed January 2016, travelled with family
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1638802-d4341806-r353488495-Club_Mahindra_Virajpet_Coorg-Virajpet_Kodagu_Coorg_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.166: Dasara Dibba, Hampi.

“Ceremonial Platform of the Royals.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This pyramidal platform, built by Krishnadevaraya in the memory of his conquest of Orissa, is located to the northeast of the Royal Enclosure. It rises to a height of 8 metres and has an area of 35 sq. metres.

The platform was used by the Royal family for important festivals like Dasara (also called Mahanavami). The embossed carvings on this platform are just like those in the Hazara Rama temple. Hunting scenes, dance postures and mythological carvings are the common themes.

After climbing onto the platform, one can tarry here for a while to take in the views of the Royal Enclosure and nearby monuments, and feel like a king surveying his grand kingdom.

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Visited January 2016

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

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d5854206-r353010795-Dasara_Dibba-Hampi_Karnataka.html#