Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telengana

1. Vizag – Araku Train:

Located North West of Vizag the beautiful Araku Valley is connected by a 150 km long rail track. An engineering marvel the rail tracks meanders through the Eastern Ghats passing through 58 tunnels and 84 bridges. The line meanders past lush green valleys, towering cliffs and thundering water falls, passing through several tunnels some couple of meters long while several others stretching over 100 meters. The longest tunnel has length of 520 meters. Read more…

2. Hyderabad and Warangal, FAM (familiarization) tour APTDC:

A three day (8 – 10 Oct. 2013) FAM (familiarization) tour of Hyderabad and Warangal reveled some hidden gems like the spectacular Warangal Fort, the ruined temple complex of Ghanpur, elegant sculptures of Ramappa Temple, the huge scenic lakes of Laknavaram, the spectacular relief work at the Jain Temple in Kolannapuka and the colourfull scroll paintings of Cheriyal. The tour also covered some well known sites like the Lumbini Park along with the giant Buddha Statue, the gigantic Golconda Fort and not to mention Hyderabad’s most iconic landmark the Charminar. Read more…

3. Ramappa Temple, a gem of Kakatiya Architecture:

Located in the Palampur village of Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh the Ramappa Temple is a gem of architecture. Built in 1213 this probably is the only temple in the world to be named after the chief architect Ramappa. The Temple complex consists of several temples and other religious structure, most of them in ruins. The star attraction of the Ramappa Temple are the the sculptures of the dancing girls (Mandkinis). Curved out of zed black basalt stones they are polished to perfection. Read more….

4. Charminar, the icon of Hyderabad:

Charminar, literally meaning four towers is a landmark of the city of Hyderabad. The landmark monument, which also doubles up as a mosque, was constructed by Quli Qutab Shah in 1591. Today a protected monument under ASI the Charminar stands on a traffic island on one of the most congested areas of Hyderabad. Today the minars are out of reach of the ordinary tourist but they are allowed up to the first floor offering a breathtaking view stretching all the way to Golconda Fort. Read more…

5. Cherial Scroll Paintings:

Scroll painting is one of the earliest forms of audio – visual entertainment. A couple of families in the non descriptive village of Cherial, in Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh practises this decaying art of scroll painting. The Cherial Scroll Painting differs significantly from the other scroll paintings, prevalent in other parts of India. The other scroll painting emphasis on religion and mythology while the Cherial Scroll Painting is based on the daily lives of different tribes and communities. Read more…

6. Ghanpur Group of Temples:

The Ghanpur group of temples were probably constructed by Ganapati Deva of Kakatiya dynasty in the early 13th century. Located about 65 km South West of Warangal the Ghanpur Group of Temples is restored by the Andhra Pradesh State Archeology Department. The dilapidated temple complex, consists of 22 structures, of different shape and size, enclosed within a doubled walled complex. In spite of the ruined state the Ghanpur Group of temples seems to a symphony of scattered stones. Read more…

7. Taramati Baradari, Hyderabad:

Taramati Baradari, an open air dancing platform named after Taramati, the legendary singer – danseuse of astonishing beauty. Baradari literally means 12 doors, but contrary to the name, the structure of Taramati Baradari contains 5 doors on each of the four sides, thus making it a total of 20 doors. Today, the ancient pavilion of Taramati Baradari has been put into an excellent adoptive reuse by converting it into a tourist complex, complete with hotels, restaurants and open air theatres. Read more…

8. Monolithic Buddha Statue, Hussain Sagar, Hyderabad:

The monolithic Buddha Statue rises to a height of 18m and stands on a platform at the middle of the Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad. The statue is the highest monolithic statue of Lord Buddha and was inspired by the Statue of Liberty, New York, USA. It is the brain child of former chief minister of unified Andhra Pradesh NTR. The project was executed by temple architect and builder S.M.Ganapathi Sthapati. The project took five years and costed a staggering 3 million US$. During the transportation process the statue slipped of the barge and fell in the lake. It was recovered 2 years later and finally installed in 10 March 1990. Read more…

9. Panoramic tour of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana:

Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as wide format photography. Panorama photos are normally shot by stitching  series of photos with sightly overlapping fields to create a panoramic image. This post contains panoram shots of Hyderabad, Ramappa, Ghanpur and Vizag – Araku train. Read more…