Inside Story - Shivappa Nayaka Palace, Shimoga

At first glance it hardly looks like a palace. But on a second glance it does not seem like a saw mill either. To me , it looks like an exquisitely designed home , carved in rosewood, replete with a Mangalore tiled roof with wooden pillars, an open courtyard, two narrow staircases leading to a hall flanked by rooms and a balcony .

It is well past noon and I am in the Shivappa Nayaka palace in Shimoga or Shivamogga, a town located on the banks of the river Tunga in the Malenadu heartland . We happen to be the only tourists in this sprawling palace. The staircase leads us upstairs and we enter the main durbar or the balcony of the palace . Looking out into the vast expanse , we see that the well manicured lawns have turned into a veritable art gallery with ancient sculptures scattered around them.


We wait patiently for the watchman to finish his lunch and take us on a guided tour. The original palace he says was built by Hiriya Venkatappa Nayak of the Keladi Dynasty in the 16th century. The Vijaynagar empire was declining and the Keladi Nayaks, who were ruling as chieftains under them , had slowly emerged emerging on their own. A local battle fought here between the Nayaks and the Palegars resulted in the former’s victory and hence a fort and a palace were built here. The victory was however shortlived. Soon, Adil Shah of the Bijapur Sultanate destroyed it after a bitter battle and it was later rebuilt by Shivappa Nayak in the Indo sarcenic style. The story however does not end here. When the British took over from the Nayak, they converted the palace into a saw mill to store logs..Finally the monument assumed its current form , after it was restored by the ASI.

Legends say that the Maratha ruler, Rajaram, the son of Chatrapthi Shivaji was hidden in this palace when he was pursued by the Mughal ruler Aurangazeb. The story dates to the later 16th century when the dynasty was ruled by Rani Chennamma, wife of Somashekara Nayaka . Rajaram, along with his confidants apparently entered her court dressed as a monk , seeking alms. They were passing through her kingdom and they sought refuge . The queen , against the advice of her officials, hid Rajaram in this palace for a few days until he carried on with his journey. While Rajaram escaped, an infuriated Aurangazeb sent his army to defeat the queen, but in the battle that followed, the queen’s forces defeated the Mughals, forcing them to sign a treaty with the Nayaks.

As the watchman finished the story, the parakeets screeched , announcing their displeasure at our prolonged presence. Looking up , we saw a tree that was filled with bats, who were probably enjoying their afternoon siesta. Fascinated , we watched them for a while and then continued on our quest to see more places and hear more stories.

A ruthlessly chopped version of this appeared in the Metro Plus today. I have no idea why editors amuse themselves by randomly removing words and paragraphs with no feel for continuity and style. They said it was a space crunch which made them remove 106 words from this story randomly, including the last paragraph

More wildlife from Kabini

When you are in a forest, one of the oft repeated wish is to see a tiger or a leopard. Well, yours truly is not an exception. But my luck has always been rather bad. However what started as a sour grapes attitude has suddenly changed . Today, I am easily satisfied with some sightings of birds. I enjoy looking at smaller mammals and am often rewarded by some quality sighting of the larger ones. During my trip to Kabini , I was staying at the JLR property and I was lucky to have a very good naturalist with me. Yes, I missed the sighting of a leopard and a sloth bear, but was very happy to see gaurs drinking waters and crossing the road in front of us, a smaller pack of dholes or wild dogs threatening a domestic dog, tuskers posing for us and even a threesome elephants dancing for us. In my earlier posts, I had spoken about a mother and a baby having a bath, besides our encounter with another family. So, now tell me , do we really miss a tiger or a leopard here ?

Visit Philippines

Philippines is a country surrounded with vast blue-crystal like waters. This country is considered to be one of the best places when it comes to beaches but Philippines is more than this. Unravel the hidden treasure of the Philippines through its rich gift of nature.

Be amazed with the gorgeous and spectacular beauty of Rice Terraces in Banaue. It was once hailed as one of the eight wonders of the world. The serene atmosphere of this place gives tourists time to relax and enjoy the rich and preserved culture of the native people. It took hours before you reach the terraces but once you get there you will never thought of coming home.

If you want to see something extinct and extra-ordinary, straight ahead to the island of Bohol where you can witness a tiny creature called Tarsier. It is a small primate that can sit at the palm of your hand, has huge eyes, soft fur and long fingers. This specie is now endangered but efforts are made in order to save them. Visit Bohol and make friends with this tiny pals.

Another unique tourist spot in this country is the coffins laid along the cliffsides of the valley. This place is a 12 hour ride away from Manila but the travel is all worth it because there are much things to explore in this place like caves, waterfalls and mountains.

Nothing can surpass the sweet and touching smiles of Filipino people. When you visit this country you are first entertained with the warm smiles of Filipinos. They are naturally friendly and rich with hospitality and laughters.

So if you want to have a package deal of natural wonders and great neighbors, visit Philippines and you’ll surely find what you are looking for.

Kabini and her elephants - 2

When I went to Kabini last month, there were plenty of families around .Well, Im not referring to the human kind , but about elephants. We saw herds everywhere and although we did see a few tuskers around , it was interesting to watch the behaviour of these animals. In one of our jungle safaris, we came upon a family of three who just emerged out of the bushes onto the road. We were the only jeep around and we were rather deep into the jungle.

We switched off the engine and waited. I hesitated to use my camera , but then I took a couple of pictures just as they posed for us . As I closed the lens, the father shielded the mother and the calf from our view and then he led the group as they crossed the road. While keeping an eye on us, he shepherded them into the bushes and that is when I took out the camera again and even while his family was safely into the forests, he gave us one last look before exiting from our view.





In another scene, we were privy to the bathing scene of a mother and baby elephant who were enjoying a mud bath in the tiger's pool. The mother was extremely weak and we could see her bones..probably she had a hard time getting herself and her calf to kabini . We didnt see the leopard or the tiger , but we spent a good 20 mins watching them enjoy the water.I made a slide show on You Tube and you can watch the pair here

I'm just a bird in the sky ..

And no one can take my freedom away..so sing the river terns over the Bhadra backwaters in Lakkavalli where they come to breed every year

Here are a pair of cormorants singing the same song as they return home. To see more fascinating skies across the world, click here

Tips to Get a Romantic Cruise Vacation

A romantic cruise is the best way to celebrate your honeymoon, anniversary or vacation. Cruising gives a romantic and affectionate atmosphere for couples who want to spend time together. But choosing a romantic cruise gives challenge to couples since there many things aspects to consider in getting the best among the romantic cruise lines worldwide.

In order to get the best romantic cruise vacation, you must carefully plan everything. First you must set a date on when you plan to have the cruise. Pick a romantic cruise line that will give you the cheaper price but still offers you the superb service and accommodation while on cruise. You can also check online for different romantic cruise lines that offer cheaper price. Try also booking earlier so that you can avail discounts.

You can also ask some of your friends on what romantic cruise line to choose. Their ideas would count a lot especially if they have already experienced it. There are countless romantic cruise lines that you can choose from but your own preference should be followed so that you can completely enjoy the cruise.

Getting a romantic cruise vacation may sound but if you think about it carefully anyone can afford it as long as you plan the cruise. You can have the perfect cruise vacation in your life.

India through my eyes - In the days of twitter and FB statuses

I saw this quaint little postbox just before I entered the portals of the Hoysala temple, Somnathpur .One day I told myself, I will shut myself from the digital world and return here , just to send a real post card to myself at least .I did that during my first international trip, when I was 21 and all excited to cover South East Asia and Australia. I sent a post card to my parents from every country and each post card was a souvenir . I didnt have money to buy anything and my memories lie in those post cards