AGUADA FORT - GOA

Aguada fort is situated in Goa, India. The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas. It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning Water. On the fort stands a four-storey Portuguese lighthouse, erected in 1864 and the oldest of its kind in Asia.

The fort was built to control the entry into the river Mandovi and to protect Old Goa from enemy attacks.located at the estuary of the river Mandovi, this fort was constructed as a guard against invasions from the Dutch and the Marathas. The walls of this fort are 5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide.

It’s a best example for the Portuguese military architecture. It’s a big fort that covers a large part of the peninsula at the mouth of river mandovi. A delight for a military architect was the position of the fort citadel situated at the heart of the fort on the western tip of the headland commanding any seaward approach. It is now used as a jail outside the area of the fort and can still be visited. Similar to all forts built by the Portuguese where the fort configuration usually conforms towards the ground, this one is in form of a square with bastions for artillery placed at each of its three corners, while the fourth corner is occupied by a main gate. Each of the three corners are strongly defended by a dry moat and extremely thick walls while the fourth faces out on the steep slope towards the river.  At one time, 200 cannons were a part of this fort.

Aguada fort has the one of the oldest light house. The building has a solid appearance with the presence of a balustrade around the platform with a curving staircase to the lamp housing. The great bell from the Augustinian church was initially brought here before getting transferred to the Panjim church.

There are places for accommodation in Aguada:

11)   Hotel Columbus

22)   Beach hotel de Aguada

33)   Rincon of the seas gran Caribbean hotel (9km from Aguada)

are some.

PANCHALIMEDU - KERALA

Panchalimedu is located 10 km from Kuttikkanam, Idukki. Located at an altitude of about 950 meters above sea level Panchalimedu is an ideal place for trekking. 

Legend has it that the Pandavas and Panchali took a break in the area while on exile and hence the name Panchalimedu. Here a cave is known as bearing the footprints of Bhima. There is small temple dedicated to Bhuvaneshwari. The remnants of Shivalingas, thrishul, naga idols are also there.

Panchalimedu near Murinjapuzha in Kuttikkanam offers tourists a panoramic view of an unending stretch of valleys and hills. The green hills and meadows are attracting a lot of travelers to this beautiful place every day.

The divine makaravilakku of Sabarimala is visible from this location.  Lot of pilgrims come here on the auspicious occasion to view makarvillaku.

There are places for accommodation:                                                      

1) paradise plantation retreat(Murinjapuzha, Kerala Dist 0469 2701311)                                                2)Dream land hill resort : (Kuttikanam P.O, Peermedu, Near Thekkady

Kuttikanam 09447304467)

HUSSAIN SAGAR LAKE - ANDHRA PRADESH

Hussain Sagar is a lake in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. Hussain Sagar Lake is one of the largest manmade lake situated at the confluence of Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Begumpet.

It was 5.7 square kilometers built on a tributary of the River Musi to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city.  A famous monolith of Lord Buddha is installed at the center of the lake which was erected in 1992. Hussain Sagar Lake is popularly known as the Tank Bund, a major spot of tourist attractions.  At the end of the Hussain Sagar one can find the Masjid and Dargah of Sayedani Maa Tomb.  It is a sprawling artificial lake that holds water perennially.

Linking the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the lake and its environs have several parks and scenic spots. The broad road on the tank bund is lined with lawns, and statues of 33 famous personalities of the state (which are now partially destroyed) stand along the bund. The State Tourism is providing new and better facilities like speed boats, motor boats, etc. The Necklace Road is another attraction which outlines the periphery of the Hussain Sagar Lake, enhancing its beauty even more. Standing on the water front at night, one is mesmerized by the glimmering row of lights demarcating the lake that looks like a diamond studded necklace. Other attractions around the lake are the Lumbini Park and the Birla Mandir. Lumbini Park features a musical fountain and well landscaped garden. The ancient temple of Katta Maisamma, symbolizing ‘goddess of the dam’, is very close to this road and pulls a lot of devotees every year.

The lake was originally constructed to supply drinking water but it is not used as a drinking water source since 1930. The lake also protected the citizens staying in the low lying areas around the lake from floods.

CHEMBRA PEAK - KERALA

Chembra peak is the highest peak in Wayanad.  Chembra is located near the town of Meppady and is 8 km south of Kalpetta. The peak is about 1200m above sea level.

            

            There is a heart shaped lake on the way to the top. Water in the lake at the top of the hill never dries up even in the peak of summer. Trekking is possible here.  District Tourism Promotion Council provides guides and trekking equipments. The monsoon time is the best time for trekking.

            

            Once reached the top one will get a bird eye view of Wayanad. The trek up should on the whole take about 4 hours for medium paced trekkers. It’s an ideal place for camping at night. It’s required to take permission for trekking.

            

            Chembra peak is neibhourig to Nilgiri hills and vellarimala. One can also have a good view of other neibhouring districts and Nilgiri hills. It’s a paradise for nature lovers .

HALEBEEDU - KARNATAKA

             Halebeedu is located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. It was the capital City of Hosala Empire. The city is famous for the two olden temples.

            The temple complex comprises two temples, the Hoysaleshawara and Kedareshwara temples and two Jain basadi. In front of these temples there is a big lake. There are lot of sculptures but most are destroyed by the invaders. There is an archeological museum in the temple complex.  The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and dancing figures.

            The Archaeological Department has appointed guides for the help of visitors. The sculptural works are based some shastra, and its so interesting to know the reasons behind those.

Hoysaleshawara temple

One stands on the platform of the temple and sees around he will see the hills opposite and two big bulls facing the temple and Ganesha figure on the south. These attract the attention of each and every one. There are four doors in total.  The God on the northern side temple is called as Shanthaleshwara and that on southern side is called as Hoysaleshawara.

Kedareshwara Temple:

            The temple is known as “gem of Indian architecture”.  Unfortunately portions of the temple collapsed more than 70 years ago and it was not possible to bring it to its original shape. The basement of the temple has a large number of sculptures showing the marching of Elephants, charging Horse, Lion, Mythical animal, Swans and finally designed creeper scrolls, they are all from stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita in a large sculptured band. The temple is a greatness of fine workmanship.

            Halebeedu is 27.1 km far from its District Main City Hassan. It is 176 km far from its State Main City Bangalore.

KODAGU - KARNATAKA

             Kodagu is also known Coorg is a famous and beautiful district in Karnataka, India. Mercara is the head quarters of the district.
             Kodagu is blessed with rich wild life, it has 3 wildlife sanctuaries and one national park. The wild life sanctuaries are Bhrahmagiri, Thalakaveri and Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuaries and the famous national park in kodagu is the Nagarhole national park.
     
            The popular tourist attractions of this hill station are:
Thalakaveri: where the river kaveri originates.
Nisargadhama: a man made island.
Iruppu falls: its a sacred spot.
Abbey falls: which is a beautiful scenic water fall.
Dubare : an elephant catching and training center.
Bhagamandala: its the place where two rivers namely kaveri and kanika confluence. A third river                     namely sujyothi is said to be joining with them from underground.
            Other famous tourist spots are, Omkareshwara temple, Madikeri fort, Nalnad palace...
            
             Coorg is called the Scotland of India. The place has its own natural splendor and exotic scenic environment. The lush greenery of western ghats give it a high position among the hill stations in India.
             Dense teak wodden forest, lush green valleys , coffee plantations and the beautiful mountain ranges makes Coorg an exquisite location for tourist loving scenic beauty. The place also offers trekking..
             Coorg is about 115km from Hassan , or, 120 km from Mysore.
                                  

MEENMUTTY FALLS - KERALA

Meenmutty Falls is located 29 km from Kalpetta in Wayanad District in the state of Kerala, India. It is a three-tiered waterfall with a height of 300 meters. Meenmutty Falls, the largest and most spectacular waterfall in the Wayanad District. It is the Kerala’s second largest waterfall.

           

 The murmurs of the river follow our footsteps through the forest all the way to the fills. The force of water striking the dark rocks and splashing high up, to shimmer in the sunrays is a breath- taking scenery. It is situated in the triple point where two other districts Malapuram and Nilgiri join Wayanad in its beauty.

The tourism information center located at this site provides the trekking and hiking equipments. The vehicle will reach up to a 1km from falls. The rest of the path is needed to be covered by trekking.

The mind blowing waterfall is situated in the lush green deciduous forest. The Meenmutty, Soochipara, and Kanthanpara waterfalls combined, feed the Chaliyar River. In Malayalam, the mother tongue of Keralites, Meenmutty means, 'Where fish are blocked'. Since there is upward falls where fishes can't swim further this name is given to the falls.

HAMPI - KARNATAKA

" If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi"

            Hampi in Karnataka state, India is the site of the once-magnificent capital of the Vijayanagar Empire

The main street selling diamonds and other precious stones, was surprisingly called Pan Supaari Street (translated in English it means betel-leaf betel-nut street). A visitor can still see the exact location of Pan Supaari Street in Hampi, which has been marked with a board by Archaeological Survey of India.

The place is simply stunning and the area surrounded by big boulders. Its an ideal place for those people who are interested in history.

Hampi hosts 'Hampi Utsav' every year during first week of November. It is a visual delight as all the monuments/ruins are lighted in the night and it is a cultural extravaganza of dance and music. 

Tungabhadra dam is another 16 km from Hampi and it is towards Hospet. There are many sites of interest in and around Hampi. The must-visits are Virupaksha Temple, Hampi Bazaar, Monolith Bull, Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Hemakuta Hill temples, Big Shivlinga, Vithala Temple (the famous Stone Chariot is located here), Hazara Rama Temple, Royal Enclosures, Queen's Bath, Zanana Enclosure (which also houses the Lotus Mahal), Elephant Stables, Achyut Raya temple, Statue of Ugra Narsimha, Virupaksha Temple, Mahanavmi Dibba, the Stepped Bath and the Matanga Hill (from where one can see the most beautiful sun set ever).

Its about 360 km from Hyderabad or 150 km from Hubli.

PARAMBIKULAM - KERALA

Parambikulam  is located in the Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India.

Parambikulam widlife sanctuary is the most protected ecological piece of anamalia sub unit of western ghats, surrounded on all sides by protected areas and sanctuaries of Kerala and tamil nadu , the sanctuary is endowned with a peninsular flora and fauna which are excellently conserved due to total protection and minimal human interference. The sanctuary being a major ecological continuum from peechi to eravikulam through anamalai aids the large viable populations of wildlife.

It is at a distance of 135 km fromPalakkad town and is situated adjacent to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. 

Besides being an abode of elephants, wild boar, sambar, gaur, crocodiles and a few tigers and panthers, Parambikulam has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Trekking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating is available at the reservoir. Thickly forested with stands of Bamboo, Sandalwood, Rosewood and Teak, the sanctuary has some marshy land and scattered patches of grassland. The sanctuary has a rich diversity of animal life including: 39 species of mammals, 16 species of amphibians, 268 species of birds, 61 species of reptiles, 47 species of fish, 124 species of butterflies and more than a thousand species of insects.

Visitors are allowed into Parambikulam between 7 am and 6 pm. No vehicles may leave the park after 6.30 pm. There is entry fee for the vehicle. There is accomadation facilities available.

Parambikulam Dam 

Parambikulam Dam is an embankment dam on the Parambikulam River,. Parambikulam located in the Palakkad district in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, ranks number one in India as well as in the top ten embankment dams in the world in volume capacity in the year 2000

GOLKONDA FORT- ANDHRA PRADESH

Golkonda is located 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India.

             Golkonda or Golla konda (shepherd's hill) a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (c.1518–1687), is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad

           

            The most important builder of Golkonda was Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah Wali, the fourth Qutub king of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled the kingdom of Golkonda from 1512. Their first capital, the fortress citadel of Golkonda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the north. They laid out Golkonda's splendid monuments, now in ruins, and designed a perfect acoustical system by which a hand clap sounded at the fort's main gates, the grand portico, was heard at the top of the citadel, situated on a 300-foot (91 m)-high granite hill. This is one of the fascinating features of the fort.

            The Golconda fort used to have a vault where once the famous Kohinoor and Hope diamonds were stored along with other diamonds.

Golkonda was once renowned for the diamonds found on the south-east at Kollur Mine near Kollur (modern day Guntur district), Paritala (modern day Krishna district) and cut in the city during the Kakatiya reign. At that time, India had the only known diamond mines in the world.

Many famed diamonds are believed to have been excavated from the mines of Golkonda, such as:

§  Darya-e Nur

§  Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond

§  The Koh-i-noor

§  The Hope Diamond

§  The Regent Diamond

§  Wittelsbach Diamond

THE FORT

            Golkonda consists of four distinct forts with a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semicircular bastions (some still mounted with cannons), eight gateways, and four drawbridges, with a number of royal apartments & halls, temples, mosques, magazines, stables, etc. inside. The lowest of these is the outermost enclosure into which we enter by the "Fateh Darwaza" (Victory gate, so called after Aurangzeb’s triumphant army marched in through this gate) studded with giant iron spikes (to prevent elephants from battering them down) near the south-eastern corner. At Fateh Darwaza can be experienced a fantastic acoustic effect, characteristic of the engineering marvels at Golkonda. A hand clap at a certain point below the dome at the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the 'Bala Hisar' pavilion, the highest point almost a kilometre away. This worked as a warning note to the royals in case of an attack.

The fort has an ingeniously evolved water supply system. The water raised by Persian wheels was stored in overhead tanks at different levels. Water thus collected was effectively distributed to various mahals, other apartments, roof gardens and fountains in the citadel through stone aqueducts and a network of earthen pipes by sheer force of gravity.

QUTUB SHAHI TOMBS
            The tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans lie about one kilometer north of Golkonda's outer wall. These structures are made of beautifully carved stonework, and surrounded by landscaped gardens. 

            Highlight of the fort is a light-and-sound show. The timings of the show are different during summers and winters. During November–February, the shows begin at 6:30 pm, and during March-October, the shows begin at 7 pm. On Wednesdays and Sundays the shows are presented in English; on Tuesdays, Fridays, and on Saturdays, in Hindi; and on Thursdays, Telugu.

           This is an interesting place for archeologists and who love history.