Gingee: The Hidden Treasure of Tamil Nadu

“Half the fun of travel is the aesthetic of lostness” – Ray Bradbury

Every person, every traveler has that one that one kind of place that they keep going back to..in their journeys through time and physical places and their minds. For some it may always be finding that secluded spot on a beach and counting the waves as they slowly die and reincarnate again and again, and for some it may be spending hours studying and watching people in a bustling market. For me it will always be the ruins. Nothing gives me the sense of satisfaction, of discovery, of peace and calm, of humility as sitting alone in the midst of ruins, imagining how a century ago, that very same spot could have been used to sell fruits in a Sunday market, or by a courtesan enthralling her audience, or by a king making important (or not-so-important) decisions! Just the time travel in my mind gives a sense of awe that nothing can parallel.

So while we were on our weekend getaway to Pondicherry (and getting bored out of our minds by the second day...no offence to Pondy lovers!), we decided to check out Gingee (yeah Lonely Planet had like one paragraph about it in their South India section, but just those few lines were captivating enough).

Gingee lies almost midway between Chennai and Pondicherry and it’s close to a two hours drive from the latter. 

The town is located between three hills and the most famous attraction of this otherwise nondescript town is the Gingee Fort. Gingee Fort (also known an Senji, Jinji, Senchi or Chenji) is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu and was tipped as the “most impregnable fortress in India” by the Maratha ruler Shivaji and the British were so kind as to call it the Troy of the East.

The Gingee Fort

Within the Gingee Complex

One of the many corridors to take you back in time

The Venkataramana Temple in the background

The site originally built by the Chola dynasty in the 9th century AD, has since then passed through the leadership of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Marathas, Bijapur sultans, the Mughals, French and finally the British. The complex is nestled between three hillocks: Krishnagiri to the north, Rajagiri to the west and Chandrayandurg to the south east. Apart from the fort, the complex houses a 7-story building called the Kalyana Mahal (marriage hall they say), granaries, prison cells, temples and several tanks. If you’re lucky then you’ll have almost the entire complex to yourself to explore and relish in peace, otherwise like us you may have to share it with bus loads of weekend travelers and school kids!

Though the complex in itself is absolutely beautiful, but your mind really begins to get blown when you start the uphill climb to the fort. The steps are more like huge slabs of rocks and climbing those can totally replace the lunges one does in the gym and to top that the climb is at least 45 degrees if not steeper. And if this wasn’t enough there will be monkeys jumping around trying to take your belongings just for fun or kids trying to race each other to the top or to the foot! But still, despite all this, with every few steps when you just look around, without fail one ends up heaving a huge sigh (party due to breathlessness), but mostly because there’s nothing else that you’d do at that very moment but soak in the feeling of (almost) being on top of the world!

View from on the way up

And yes, you'll usually find company

Before the climb I had read the ASI description about the fort being impregnable, but I truly understood the meaning when I got on top and realized that there was a real draw-bridge across a massive crevice which separated the actual fortress on the top from the rest of the structure! And crossing that bridge is not for the faint hearted, or those suffering from vertigo like me! At that height, with the winds howling, you feel like you’ll be blown away like a stray kite with every step that you take!

Ranganatha Temple on the way

What's a fortress without a draw bridge!

But once you finally station yourself on top, and look down at the rest of the world, the complex which would have once been teeming with people, the granaries with produce, the chants of the priest in the temples, the two other hillocks guarding the complex and everything else takes a back seat. In those few moments lie the little joys of life which make the rest of the weeks and months worth going through.

Venkataramana Temple complex

The temple replete with monolithic pillars

Near the complex is the Venkataramana Temple which was built by the Nayakas. This is usually comparatively more secluded than the inner fort, maybe because this edifice is actually quite secluded. The entire temple brims with large monolithic pillars, which adds the Mummy Returns sort of eeriness.

In short, Gingee is a jewel. When in Chennai or Pondicherry, it is a must visit!

Bidding Adieu to Summer, Bilbao style!

“Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God – Kurt Vonnegut”

This September I went back again to France (in an attempt to make this an annual thing, and make it sound all fancy!), and luckily for me, this year, the (European) weather Gods were in a much better mood! The 10 days that i was there i soaked up more sunshine than I actually ever have in Bangalore in the last 1.5 years!!

Since last year I had managed to cover a lot of places in France, so this year I decided to drive down further and visit the areas of the Basque Country which lie in Spain (obviously it’s a blessing when you have an adoring boyfriend willing to drive you down to wherever you want!)

Our first stop was Hondarribia.

Hondarribia, which in Basque means sand fort is a quaint border town located on the west shore of the Bidasoa river. The first thing that hits you when you step foot on here, is how different the pace of life is from France which is just a couple of kilometres away! Almost felt that the car ride was more than a ride, it was a journey back in time (or forward?!), to a space where good food, good ambience, walking by the beach, watching pristine white sailboats and colourful yachts on the deep blue waters, meandering aimlessly on cobbled streets define a way of life instead of the madness that consumes us as we run every morning from home to the gym to work to the local bar to back to bed. It was a Wednesday and we only planned to stop for a few quick hours to walk around the town, but it almost felt like in the middle of a festive season with kids running all over the place, people old and young sipping on wine and gulping down beer on the tiny bar stools that pockmarked every walkway and lively music floating through the air.

Apart from chilling, soaking in the good life and leaving all worries behind, the other things to do here would be to relax some more (!!) and maybe to visit the Ermita de Guadalupe, a small church situated on the hill top.

From postcard to reality!

Cobbled pathways of Hondarribia

Next up was the city, which is now a part of my ‘favourite cities’ list; Bilbao. Before coming, the usual things one would have heard about Bilbao were..umm nothing more than a small gritty industrial town, but it is magnificently surprising to see how culturally oriented the city has become with marvels of art to stumble upon at every second turn you take!

First up of course is the most famous attraction – the Guggenheim Museum. Designed by Frank Gehry, the building in itself is an architectural masterpiece. And even before you can enter the museum, you are hit by a blast of art by from the several installations around museum premises.

Installations outside the Guggenheim Museum

That moment of pride - Anish Kapoor at Guggenheim

The Guggenheim is situated right next to Casco Viejo, the old town which is full of charming streets, quaint houses, magnificent churches, boisterous bars, quirky shops and lots of good food!

When in Bilbao, one must try the pinxtos (Basque tapas), and we were just lucky to have landed right in the middle of the pinxto festival! This is when almost every pub (which double up as cafes during the day) serve their specialties and compete with each other to win the best pinxtos award!

Now since Bilbao is a valley town nestled between mountain ranges, it’s a pretty good use of one’s time there to take the funicular as it creaks and moans its way up Mount Arxanda from where one can get spectacular views of the entire city.

At Mount Artxanda

Sunset at Mount Artxanda

Finally on our way back to France, we decided to make on last stop at Donostia- San Sebastian. If ever you have dreamt of what the perfect beach would look like, then Playa de Concha and its extension Playa de Ondarreta would be the epitome of that dream! With the golden sandy beach stretching till the eyes can see, water more blue than you’ve ever witnessed, hundreds of toned bodies soaking up the sun, it is easily one of the best beaches I have ever been to! Walking towards the western part of the beach, you reach Playa de Ondarreta and if the sumptuous beach wasn’t enough to enthrall your senses, then definitely the sculptures embedded in the rocks would. The installations by Eduardo Chillida, create a mystical harmony between human art creations and the creations of nature. 

Playa de Concha

Installations at Playa de Ondarreta

San Sebastian, screams art, culture, history and positivity from every brick! No wonder it has been named as the European Center of Culture for 2016. One can spend hours walking around the old city, savoring the pinxtos followed by the churros, witness wedding celebrations at the Ayuntamiento de San Sebastian, laze around in the courtyard of the Plaza de Constitucion, walk up to the sculpture of Christ as the Good Shepherd or just check out the Aquarium at the end of the pier.

Plaza de Constitucion

It is true that visiting Spain is tantamount to a visit to India, it’s a collection of small nations working together, each with its own distinct art, flavour and culture and yet fusing together so effortlessly. A weekend in the Basque region will most probably be spent OD-ing on art and beauty and letting the smells and tastes overwhelm your senses.

These are not the most advertised European destinations, but by far one of the most beautiful and fulfilling journeys I have taken. 

Sravanabelagola, Halebid, Belur: Solo Indian Woman Tripping V2.0

"I was born very far from where I'm supposed to be. So, I guess I'm on my back home."

A few months after my first solo trip, the 'travel alone' bug started gnawing at me again. So this time, after recommendations from fellow travelers and a couple of guide books I zeroed in on Sravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid for my next trip. But this time as I was planning I remembered the stares from my last trip alone, the questions about where my family was and why I was travelling alone and did I not know how unsafe it could get? So I kept postponing this one as the thoughts kept popping in and out of my head, till one Saturday I woke up and thought well that’s what people do right? Question! That’s what humans do. Why should I give into others’ concerns? So I just packed a couple of items and set out early that morning to the Majestic bus stop to catch the next local to Hassan.

With a few hours of a wonderful early morning ride on a not so wonderful rickety bus I got off at Hassan, my base camp for the weekend. Thankfully, the bus stopped very close to (I believe) the only liveable hotel around and as I entered the building, thus began my series of questions and answers for the weekend.

After satiating my hungry stomach and some astonished locals’ curiosity I set out on my first sight for the weekend; Sravanabelagola. It is around forty-five minutes away from Hassan by bus and then when you reach there, the walk up the Vindhyagiri Hill takes another twenty minutes (but it feels like someone has been pumping oxygen out of your lungs for hours at a stretch!!). The town is centered around a white tank (bela kola) which gives it the name. The Vindhya Hill to the south of the tank houses the over 17m high statue of Gomatesvara, which is believed to be highest monolithic statue in Asia. The huffing and panting up the 650 steps is made worth it when you see the statue and the expression of peace on his face. 

                                     

The impressive Gomateshwara statue

                                      

                                      

Murals on the temple walls

Tank around which the town is centered

The other hill, Chandragiri which is the smaller of the two has more areas of interest from a historical point of view. There are 576 inscriptions on the rock, which is the most on a single site in India and they date from the 6^th to the 19^th century speaking of a dozen different dynasties.

Chandragiri Hill

                                   

Next up on the itinerary were the Yadava temples at Belur and the Hoysala temples at Halebid. Both are around thirty minutes away from Hassan, but it is advisable to check out Belur first and then Halebid as there are more frequent buses from the latter back to Hassan.

The most famous site in Belur is the Chenna Kesava temple. Though the entire temple and the sanctum is not in very good shape but it’s good enough to study the intricate carvings for hours.

Chenna Kesava Temple, Belur

Halebid on the other hand is in almost pristine and untouched condition even after a thousand years behind it. The best part is the finely carved temples which are so intricate and precisely done. One can just sit at the courtyard for hours and try to read the stories that the carvings tell. And when the sun gets too much to bear just go inside the temple and the latticework allows just the right amount of air and light to let you continue your contemplatives, unperturbed.

Intricacies at Halebid

After Hampi, this was another wonderful weekend going back in time and being alone just lets you soak in all the history even deeper.