Our wanderings and perceptions

 Chandragiri Fort, Museum and Mahal Yet another Sunday, not wanting to while away we decided to make a drive all the way to Chandragiri near Tirupati. It took us little less than 4 hours including a breakfast stop to reach there. We started around 6 AM, had breakfast at Sholavaram and headed straight to Chandragiri. It is in the Tirupati district. This was the fort and mahal of the Vijayanagar empire. Currently under the Archaeological Survey of India, we allowed only to some part of the fort and mahal while other areas remain locked. They take an entrance fee of Rs. 30 per head. First is the fort, now converted to a museum housing the latest excavation artifacts. The fort inside looks like a British time structure. The Gopuram is of the  Vijayanagar period. Few kilometers before the fort we get a path that is narrowed by huge walls on both sides, making us feel like entering into a maze. We can see some temples on the way, just bearing marks of existence. Archaeological Surve...

 Panduranga Temple On a Sunday morning we drove from Chennai to Panduranga Temple near Vandavasi, beyond Chengalpet. We started at 7 in the morning, had break near Perungalathur and reached Thenangur by 10 AM. It was a three hours drive but the roads were good. Just when we had to switch from NH to SH for less than 3 kms the road was bad, but for that it was a smooth travel. The temple is tucked away in a small village of Thennangur. But owing to its popularity we get to see quiet a number of cars outsides. Temple and its surroundings are peaceful. The temple has typical southern Indian gopuram but once you cross the entrance the famous Puri Jagannanth or Odissa style gopuram stands beautiful in light saffron colour. To reach the inner sanctum, we go through a mandapam whether you see pictures of various incarnations of Panduranga and statutes related to Krishna. Near the inner sanctum the roof and walls are colourfully decorated. Ladies and Gents are informed to sit on either side...