The Ringing Rock of Basara

Basara (or Basar) is a small town on the state of Telangana in India that is popularly associated with the Gnana Saraswati Temple where many come as a pilgrimage to pay homage to the Goddess of Learning, Saraswati.

However, the town also has another quaint attraction that is less known to outsiders, but a source of pride and joy to the locals; and they will quickly and proudly point out to you the location of their village's Magical Rock or Ringing Rock, which is located near the town's bus station.

The Sounding/Ringing Rock of Basara - the locals are quick to show you where to strike the rock to get
the best ringing tone from the rock

The Veda Shilaa is surrounded by a fence, and there
are houses nearby the site. A friendly goatherd or
local farmer may come to your assistance in
helping you 'ring' the rock.

This rock, called Veda Shilaa or Sri Vedavathi Shila, is what you would call a sounding or ringing rock. Ringing rocks have the peculiar characteristics of producing a resonate sound like a bell or metal bowl being struck.

The Ringing Rock of Basara has a sort of a hollow metallic ring when struck with pebbles, sounding almost like a cowbell being hit, except with a bit more resonate tone, especially when the listener is on the opposite side of the struck surface.

So if you are around Basara, and temples are not the thing for you, try making a tune out of the Ringing Rock of Basara.

Ethipothala Water Falls

Ethipotala Falls as seen from the viewing point. The falls would be spectacular in the wet season. Alas this was taken in
the heat of summer. Still, the geological formation and natural environment are a sight to behold.

A visit to the Ethipothala Falls in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India in the dry season is a surreal experience worth doing. From the nearest town you drive on for hours through scrub-land filled with stunted, spiny trees and cacti, and the soil that looked more promising of having dust storms than a 70 feet waterfall.

The dry scrub forest landscape before reaching the falls.

Only as you come closer to the confluence of the three streams that give rise to the falls will you see how the presence of water changes the landscape tremendously. Vegetation suddenly become a plenty and the lush tropical feel returns to the landscape.

From the waterfall viewing point, one can see that the falls must be huge during the rainy season, for rock surfaces that bear testament to the erosive forces of water spans a large area of the falls.

Part of the falls that have water in summer.

The water from the streams that form the falls appear to magically fall off the rocky cliff and onto a green pool of water. We managed to see water from two water source, possibly two of the three streams that form the falls had more water at that time.

We walked about the park area where the viewing point was, and the view of the surrounding scrub-land and the falls do make a good backdrop for photos.

Other than seeing the falls with your own eyes and taking landscape photos, there is nothing much to do here. We were told that the path to the pools is to the right of the entrance of the viewing area (as you are exiting the park). There is a concrete arch, and a sandy rock path/steps that seems to meander into the bushes.

It is a good to walk down to the pools of the falls if you have time (or make time for it). There are a few small shrine/temples, and the local priest will probably try to extract a donation from you for showing you around. The pools at the foot of the falls are inviting, but they are apparently used for crocodile breeding projects!

Steps down to the pools of the falls.

We met some interesting local folk at the pool
of the waterfall - a native in her traditional gear.

 SUMMARY:

• It is worth seeing even in the dry season.
• There is a stall that sells drinks and snacks in the viewing area - the staff will wield a cane to chase away pesky monkeys when you are having a drink or snack.
• Do spend time to go down to the pools at the foot of the falls.
• Swimming in the pools is at your own risk! 

Ooty - Queen of the Hill Stations

After Mysore, we were headed for Ooty, which is a popular hill station in the Nilgiri Hills. Also known as the Queen of Hill Stations in India, it was the summer time retreat for the British during the colonial era.

View of part of Ooty... the hillsides are dotted with houses and farms or tea plantations.

From Mysore, our drive took us through the Bandipur National Park (a tiger reserve) and Mudumalai National Park, which was very relaxing and scenic. As the road ascended the hills (not too harrowing or with sharp corners), the view of the hills and the valley below got us all excited. Tea plantations started to dot the landscape, and there were small tea shops along the way. A good thing if you need a break or motion sickness gets to you, these stalls serve a mean cup of chai.

A motorcyclist riding through Bandipur Tiger Reserve... meals on wheels for tigers?

The view as we ascend the hill towards Ooty.

Tea plantations dominate the landscape as we ascend the hills.

We reached Ooty around 2pm local time, and headed straight for our accomodation, which isn't really in town (bummer... yeah) but located on the south-western edge of Ooty, west of West Mere. The place (Deccan Park Resort) has cottage like units surrounded by gardens and even has a tea plantation (sort of an unkept patch) that we can view from our balcony. You have to walk a short distance from the reception and dining area to reach your 'rooms' but the park along the path is cheerfully planted with flowers along the way. Couldn't resist in taking shots of the flowers around the place.

The 'cottage' like units.

From the 'tea plantation' looking back to
the units

View of the room, quite cozy
actually.

Pretty blue Lupins.

Orange California poppy to brighten the day.

The cool and fresh air meant it was a good time to go back to town to do some sightseeing and also to get a meal before heading back here for dinner. Now Ooty is well known for one thing... local made chocolates! in all sorts of flavours and sizes. Nuts or fruit, plain or dark, you name it, they got it... well, don't ask for Guylian or Lindt chocolates here, we are talking about 100% local stuff here.

One of the many many shops that sells chocolates in Ooty.

Other than chocolates... the sweets and cake shops are everywhere! Anyone on a diet and coming to Ooty, please beware. Either put a blindfold on or just give in to the temptation. The fun part is to try the various chocolates and then buy some... guarantee you will be full and would require no lunch.

There is even a shop that sells crisps (potato, banana etc) and Indian snacks. Try to buy when the crisps are fresh from the wok - delicious on a cool afternoon in Ooty.

Shop selling crisps and snacks.

What to see around Ooty town:

• Chocolate and sweet shops.
• The local stalls that sell flower, vegetables and snacks.
• The main market area - you can get anything here, vegetables, meat, fish and even macaroni.
• Shops along the street that sort of descend down to a small cramp space.

After a good walk, we headed back to our accomodation... where dinner was a surprise. The place is more of a health sanatorium, and the meals are fully vegetarian as they hold on to the healing principles of Ayurveda! The verdict - it was a good meal, even for a meat lover like me.

Chamundi Hills and Chamundeeswari Temple

The top of the imposing Chola style tower of Chamundeshwari Temple.

Chamundi Hills, which is located about 13 kms from Mysore, is the prime landmark of Mysore city, and is visible almost from anywhere in the city center. Most importantly, it is home to the Chamundeshwari Temple, with its imposing Chola style tower. This temple is not only known for its history and imposing architecture, but also believed to be one the powerful pilgrimage sites dedicated to Shakti, the mother goddess focus of Hinduism.

The goddess worshiped in the Chamundeshwari Temple is the Goddess Chamundeeswari, which is the fierce form of Shakti who vanquished the demon Mahishasura. The original shrine is thought to have been built in the 12th century by Hoysala rulers while its tower was probably built by the Vijayanagar rulers of the 17th century. In 1659, a flight of approx 1008 steps was built by the Maharaja Dodda Devaraja leading up to the summit of the hill.

Steps up to the top... or you can take a car or
bus up.

Besides the steps, there are roads that also leads to the top of the summit, and along the way there are little spots where one or two vehicle could pull over for the passengers to enjoy the spectacular view. As you come closer to the top, you will notice the trafiic picking up as vehicles go everywhere, trying to find parking or get out of parking spaces. A little before the temple, and close to the parking lot and the Chamundi bus stand is the colorful statue of ‘Mahishasura’, the demon that the Goddess Chamundeeswari (or Chamundi for short) slayed.

Stunning view of Mysore from one of the viewing points.

Everyone wants a selfie with the demon
Mahishasura!

There are many stalls selling flower and fruit offerings to the deity, as well as 'religious' men trying to sell you amulets and rosary beads outside the temple. Takes a bit to sort of get away from them, but they are common in many popular Indian pilgrimage temples.

Flower and coconuts sold as offerings.

Lady selling flowers with her children.

The tall gopura (tower) of the temple.

As you walk towards the temple, the tall gopura tower immediately catches your attention. When we were there, they were working on giving the tower a new coat of paint. Photography is not allowed in the inner sanctum, and we didn't get a chance to glance at the inner sanctum, as at that time, the place was filled with devotee.

On the journey down, a must see is a collossal Nandi (the mount of Lord Shiva, Shakti's consort) located on the 800th step on the hill. This Nandi is over 15 feet high, and 24 feet long. It was created during the reign of Dodda Devaraja, who also built the steps leading up the hill. By vehicle, you will have to ascend to the Chamundeeswari Temple and then take a detour road that comes down the hill to get to this Nandi, or you could take the seemingly never ending steps down the hill.

Nandi the Bull (Lord Shiva's mount).

Summary:

• Lovely view points all the way up and down.
• Stunning temple, especially the inside.
• Very interesting to watch people pray at Nandi (the Bull).
• Watch out for the monkeys at the temple.
• Many stalls selling identical souvenirs/trinkets so try to get the best price out of them.