[Soumyajit9]

So here comes my first T-Log on the forum.
Too much excitement. Please excuse for any amateurish stuff !!
I have segregated this T-Log into 4 parts for easy reading and viewing of pictures.

- Prologue
- The Drive
- The Big Bull - Nandi
- The Veerabhadra Temple
- Customary Car Photoshoot
- Drive Statistics

Prologue

Alright, my Beat completed its 3 Years with me. What did I do with the baby for the last 3 years ? Rip it apart on the pothole ridden streets of Bangalore. Up and down to work.

Ever since I had bought the Beat home, I have been itching to drive on a long long highway at triple digit speeds. Well, that was only a dream till 20th April 2014.

My wife never allowed me to drive for long hours alone. So the concept of long drives was ruled out of our lifes till date. We decided to go for another long, yet short drive. Destination was finalized at the most boring spot on earth - Nandi Hills. That is one place to avoid during weekends - Drunk, unruly people all around. Have been there twice earlier. But still then, I had to drive somewhere and wife approved of this place only.

Was chit chatting with fellow BHPians on the other alternatives to Nandi Hills. Got two leads - Lepakshi and Chitradurga.
Searched our own Team-BHP travelogue section for some leads on the place and roads.
Lepakshi took over Chitradurga and was finalized.

What's there in Lepakshi ? Well, read HERE.

We teamed up with a close friend of wifey and the friend's husband in their Punto Multijet. The drive sounded exciting. So we packed up the usual stuff and started off to Lepakshi on a lazy Sunday morning.
Plan was to leave early at around 5:30 AM to avoid the Sun. But, we being IT people, getting up at 5:30 AM on a Sunday was the last thing to do if there was an apocalypse !! So, eventually we left Bangalore at 6:30 AM.


The Drive to Lepakshi

- The road to Lepakshi is on NH7, and is straight as an arrow. There were stretches where I could see straight 3-4kms ahead of me.
- Almost non-existing villages on the highway. So the fear of stray bikers, cows and human beings was very less.
- You can never get lost. I used Google maps on mobile, which was hardly used to refer to the route.
- Just keep driving, till you cross Andhra Border, which you would hardly realise, apart from a few cops standing on the road.
- Post this, you would come across a real border kinda place.
- There were cops, who stopped us, check the trunk of the car, and asked us to sign a register. Entered Reg No, From, To and a Signature (I failed to understand how is a signature important here !! LOL)
- Once you cross this, a huge sign board indicates you to take a left to go towards Lepakshi.

Here is the route map to Lepakshi, from Bangalore.



At Rajbhavan Road - Waiting for the team



All Smiles



Kempegowda Int'l Airport Flyovers

The flyovers to Kempegowda Int'l Airport were superb. I didn't realise when i got down from one flyover and go onto another one !! That smooth the roads were.
One can easily get tempted to do triple digit speeds. However, as a word of caution, please stick to under 100. There are lot of erratic vehicles (read: cabbies in particular) on the way to airport, enough to harm you.





NH 7 - Pure Driving Bliss - See those long streches !! You could see 3 kms ahead atleast !!







The customary breakfast stop at Kamath Upahar.
Note: This is the only eatery joint beyond Devanahalli, till the Andhra border (Diversion to Lepakshi). So make sure you tank up the tummy to the brim.

Thats me, and one of my close friends, my partner in this trip !!



And, time for a Family Pic.



And what's a drive without meeting HOGs' ? Yes, we saw a huge HOG, including pretty lady riders







And the journey resumes. Straight strtches again. Never have driven through such an Un-eventful drive.







Like they said - Flooring the Pedal !!! The 1.2l Smartech Petrol Engine was super smooth. At 120kmph, 2.9k was the RPM. I guess that is a good figure.





The diverson from NH 7, towards Lepakshi, takes you on Single carriageway (undivided roads) with awesome tarmac and greenery on sides.

[Soumyajit9]

The Big Bull - Nandi

While driving through the winding roads to Lepakshi, we suddenly see a board saying "Lepakshi". I brake hard and see the Nandi on our right side. You wouldn't even realise that you have reached Lepakshi !!
We park our rides and go to see the Nandi.
The Nandi is in the middle of something that looked like a park. Or may be it was well maintained. There were lush green grass, a small pond and some nice shady trees inside the park.

The Huge Nandi Bull. It is said that the statue is carved out of a single stone



A customary picture that we were there



A try at smart photography



Another try at smart photography



Stone carvings of Gods near the Nandi statue.





The small pond inside the park. The Lotus were looking pretty.





A brick arrangment reading out loud - Lepakshi



A distant view of the Nandi.



It was Andhra and the sun was extra happy to let out all its heat and shine !!
We had brough a cap for our kid, but he felt it wasn't going well with his smart look. So he threw it away.

[Soumyajit9]

The Veerabhadra Temple

We pack up soon and move ahead. Just 200 mtrs ahead, we take a Left towards the temple. Another 100 mtrs and we parked our cars. Kept the shoes inside the car and headed for the temple.

The famous Veerabhadra temple, dedicated to Veerabhadra, is located here. Built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna, the temple is a notable example of the Vijayanagar architectural style. It is famous for its sculptures, which were created by the artisans of Vijayanagara empire.

Info Source: Wiki

Entrance to Veerabhadra Temple



The entrance gate has some beautiful carvings



The moment you enter the temple, you would be surprised with the deserted looks of the temple. The entire temple compund is a ruin, except for the main temple building.
I felt so disheartened to see such a wonderful piece of art, culture and of historical importance, being neglected in such a way.
The next set of pictures would walk you through beautiful carvings on walls and pillars of this beautiful temple.

The beautiful carvings on the pillars









The temple compound is vast









The stone carvings on the pillars continue. I wished to take endless pictures of each and every carving !!









Naga of the Nagalinga - Legend has it that the Naga of the Nagalinga was carved out of a single stone by sculptors while they waited for their mother to prepare lunch
Info Source: Wiki





The paintings on the roof were brilliant. I wonder what colours were used during those days, they are bright even today !! Simply a visual treat.





Finally we bid adieu to the temple.
A final shot of the carvings on the temple entrance.



The compound wall of the temple.

[Soumyajit9]

The Customary Car Photoshoot

So we turn around for our return trip.
My heart was itching that I hadn't done a photoshoot of the Beat in this trip. I had observed a few possible photoshoot places while going to Lepakshi.
So, while returning back, decided to stop by for the most awaited photoshoot.

And it turned out brilliant !!!













The Punto Multijet that was our company for the trip.





The ground clearance of the Punto bowled me over !!





Back to the obsession with the Beat !!















Truely Yours





Yes, it was driven by www.Team-BHP.com



The lonely tree gets a friend

[Soumyajit9]

Drive Statistics

Distance Travelled - Home @ BTM 2nd Stage -> Lepakshi -> Home @ BTM 2nd Stage - 268 Kms
Fuel Consumed - ~20 Litres of Petrol
Fuel Efficiency - 13.4 km/l
Usage: 50 % AC (while returning)
Average Speed - 100km/hr

Hotels / Dhabas Enroute:

There is only one Kamath Upahar, till Lepakshi.
There are a few roadside tea stalls selling fryed items, but cannot be termed as a decent breakfast / lunch.
So make sure you tank up your tummy at this Kamath Upahar.
There are stalls in Lepakshi selling pirated Bottled Water, Soft Drinks, Ice Creams. All priced ~Rs5 over the printed price. Cooling charges they say. Same as in Bangalore.
No other eateries in Lepakshi.
While returning, we saw 2 or 3 Dhabas. Found a decent hotel named Swathi Dhaba, serving Veg & Non-Veg food. Decent place. Only fans, no AC.

Make Sure to Carry These:

Carry lots of Drinking Water.
Carry Umbrella, Caps.
Carry spare batteries for camera.
Carry Snacks - Biscuits, Chips, etc etc.

[Vid6639]

Thread moved to travelogues section from assembly line. Thanks for sharing!

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

The Veerabhadra Temple

Thanks a lot for the T-Log Soumyajit. Has been on my to do list for sometime now. Will probably drive down next weekend.

[ankan.m.blr]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

So here comes my first T-Log on the forum.
Too much excitement. Please excuse for any amateurish stuff !!
I have segregated this T-Log into 4 parts for easy reading and viewing of pictures.

Hi Soumyajit, nice travelogue and good photos! TFS. When we visited Lepakshi(2012), we noticed a well maintained garden behind main temple structure. Saw many families taking rest under tree shade. We carried our lunch with us and had a small picnic under a tamarind tree in that garden.

[ampere]

Nice place you spotted for the shoot! Dry brown grass a perfect back ground.
Have been to Lepashki a couple of times. But never got a chance to put camera to a real test. May be would go in winter once again.

If only the highway had more places to eat.

[iVento]

Lovely travelogue Soumyajit. Nice pictures.
Your TL reminds me my Lapakshi trip an year back.
Is the Nandi monolith painted yellow now or it changed its color after some enhancements.
This is how it was looking an year back.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by procrj

Thanks a lot for the T-Log Soumyajit. Has been on my to do list for sometime now. Will probably drive down next weekend.

Glad that you liked it. Yes, you need to drive to this place. The place is awesome, clubbed with the superb driving experience.
But, please make sure you are adequately hydrated. Its dry and burning hot during this time of the year. We got our feet almost burned standing on the stoned temple premises.

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Hi Soumyajit, nice travelogue and good photos! TFS. When we visited Lepakshi(2012), we noticed a well maintained garden behind main temple structure. Saw many families taking rest under tree shade. We carried our lunch with us and had a small picnic under a tamarind tree in that garden.

Thanks Ankan !! Yes, its funny, but that tree has now become a lovers point I guess.
All the leaves, and I repeat, all the leaves are etched with names on them !!
Neverteless, the tree still stands strong there. We took a little rest under that tree too.

Originally Posted by ampere

Nice place you spotted for the shoot! Dry brown grass a perfect back ground.
Have been to Lepashki a couple of times. But never got a chance to put camera to a real test. May be would go in winter once again.
If only the highway had more places to eat.

Thanks ampere !! The credit for the photoshoot location goes to my friend in the Punto, and subsequently my wifey.
The Punto had stopped on the road to take some photos. I stopped nearby. Suddenly my wife showed me a gap from the road to this grassland area. I drove into it and boy, it was a small but wonderful place to photoshoot.
I had always wished to photoshoot the Beat in those dry brown tall grasses. Finally got a chance !!
Oh, and by the way, this location is unmarked. No possible identifiers for this place !!!

Originally Posted by iVento

Lovely travelogue Soumyajit. Nice pictures.
Your TL reminds me my Lapakshi trip an year back.
Is the Nandi monolith painted yellow now or it changed its color after some enhancements.
This is how it was looking an year back.
Attachment 1233515

Thanks iVento. The Nandi seems to have become yellowish, not because of the painting, but nature abuse I guess. Its more on the dirtier side.
From your pic, it looks like it was cleaned / acid washed or something like that. Its was so clean then !!

[sridhu]

Very well written travelogue, Soumyajit9. Nice images too.

PS: Do you want to check your white balance or your preset on the camera? The colour cast could be coming from there.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Its dry and burning hot during this time of the year. We got our feet almost burned standing on the stoned temple premises.

The plan is to get there before sunrise and watch the colors playout against the stone hence not worried about burning my feet on stones but will carry lots of water

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Very well written travelogue, Soumyajit9. Nice images too.
PS: Do you want to check your white balance or your preset on the camera? The colour cast could be coming from there.

Glad you liked it.

I use a Canon 600D with default kit lens 18-55.
I have one problem though, I always shoot in Vivid colour scheme.
I use the mode selector to CA (Creative Auto) with Manual Focus and then set the colour scheme to Vivid. I guess that does some colour changing games and make the pictures a bit more on the darker colour shade.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I use the mode selector to CA (Creative Auto) with Manual Focus and then set the colour scheme to Vivid. I guess that does some colour changing games and make the pictures a bit more on the darker colour shade.

Some suggestions
- Move on to AV/TV modes and Auto-Focus.
- During day time snapping, you can set ISO to 100/200.
- Color Schemes should be fine. If you shoot RAW, then in Canon DPP (S/W) you should be able to manage it nicely.

And you should drive down to DD hills. You can get some amazing day time golden hour shots there. The temple opens quite late. Hit the place by sunrise and get out by 8/9 AM; even before crowd starts to come in. Be aware there are monkeys near the parking. So dont take out food at this place.