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-   -   hyderabad srisailam nagarjunsagar hyderabad warangal hyderabad (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/78360-hyderabad-srisailam-nagarjunsagar-hyderabad-warangal-hyderabad-2.html)

yes it was an amazing place and experience.

it was january though so was not that hot. maybe the best part of the year to travel in these areas.its located at around 2000 ft above sea level so these areas and srisailam are cooler than most parts.

i would say you wait till i enter srisailam part of my travelogue that would be interesting.

regards

pg

3.30pm farahabad to srisailam

we came back to the farahabad starting point for jungle safari. in the meanwhile our driver giri had sorted out the puncture and replaced the tyre.i was amazed to see that the punctured tyre was so worn out!!!!!!!!i asked giri whether he knew what risks he was exposing himself and others by driving on old tyres.he replied since he was not so educated he did not know technical aspects and he drove the car till there was no problem.but during trip he wanted to learn morwe about driving and technical aspects.i also told him to point out car maintenenace to his agency regularly and that included tyres too.

well the new tyre was a new one and eliminated the wobble we had so far.the pleasing drive to srisailam was interrupted by hordes of monkey gangs so at some places we had to slow down to allow the "vanar sena" who were scavenging on food thrown by some monkeys "who travel in vehicles"

the monkey menace disappeared till we came to a point where there is a diversion to mallela theertham waterfalls. we stopped for some coffee.

in andhra pradesh coffee is served in plastic cups at all places/dhabas on highways which i thought was a very disturbing trend.it is an environmental disaster with coffee cups thrown about here and there.also the quantity of coffee served in these cups is miniscule as compared to other areas of the country i have visited.most places in india still stick to plastic free regime of serving coffee in ceramic/steel/earthernware cups.

also this thing happening inside srisailam reserve which i thought was a very pristine forest with vast uninhabitated stretches upset me the most.

however we moved on after coffee and entered the area known as domlapenta from where the srisailam dam area begins.

we started a slow descent towards the dam. the twists and turns were dramatic as was the first view of the dam itself. it looked stright out of alien movie a giant structure with huge supporting buildings tunnels and power cables.

it a hydroelectric project of the jaypee group.

at places the roads had been washed away by fllods around 4 months back and we had to tread on loose gravel. we crossed the river over a bridge came to the other side where the temple complex is situated on a high hill above the dam. the ascent was breathtaking as it was twilight the views of the dam and the lake created were mesmerising.

we soon reached the entrance temple of sakshi ganapati. anybody who comes to srisailam comes here to record his presence before lord ganesha before proceeding to the srisailam kshetra.this as i read had been followed since centuries.the quaint temple is anice place to unwind and soak in the beautiful views before proceeding to the town itself.

we were booked at the aptdc punnami resort at srisailam.the resort was ok for a pilgrims stay.the restaurant served decent food nothing extraordinary.

we were approached by the staff of aptdc for ticket for sheeghra darshan we paid INR 100 and he told us to be ready at 6.30 pm we had cups of tea and waited for our tickets which came with prasad ladoos.

we had a wonderful srisailam jyotirlinga darshan.the evening also saw a huge 6 feet bull being led in a procession alongwith lord ganpati in a procession like a pradakshina.

we encountered many marathi speaking people who are residents of this ton including priests the man who led the bull in procession. also the language in these parts is a mixture of many languages with many common words.this link we were told dates back to the time of chattrapati shivaji who had visited srisailam and sanctioned some constructions.there existed many routes to this pilgrimage through karnataka and maharashtra of olden times.

we returned to hotel restaurant and post dinner we called it quits to begin early next morning.

1 monkey business
2 coffee break at roadside stall
3 dense jungles
4 descent begins into krishna valley srisailam dam project
5 view of the dam
6 peek at the dam
7 harnessing the water power
8 bridge too far
9 the srisailam dam
10 down towards the bridge

1 towards the bridge
2 crosing the bridge
3 bridge crossed over
4 lake created by srisailam dam
5 high above in the abode of mallikarjuna jyotirlinga
6 aptdc punnami resort decent accomodation
7 aptdc punnami resort
8 resort
9 srisailam town street view
10 street scene pleasantly deserted due to ongoing agitation

Pravdr,
Enjoying the photos of your visit to heaven on earth, very well captured, each and every place in your photographs has been visited by me and your visual treat takes me there again.
Regards,

dear fazal saab

thanks once again. the purpose of travelogue section is to take you virtually to these places.iam happy that you are enjoying the travelogue.
iam using canon powershot 610 currently although not a professional camera im exploiting whatever features it has to maximum effect.
which camera should i shift to for serious nature photography?suggestions invited.

regards

pg

5 jan 2010 srisailam macherla ethipothala nagarjunsagar NGS (vijayvihar complex)

woke up early in the morning had bath and were eager to take mallikarjun jyotirlinga darshan again.divine intervention followed due to ongoing agitation the tourist flow to srisailam had virtually stopped.what we saw was a temple town which was empty which usually is bustling with devotees.
we had a quick darshan the idols inside the temple are impressive with their array of precious stones.
we felt blessed as today mornings darshan was very divine. the balmy morning rays of sun greeted us as we stepped out of sanctum sanctorum the temple complex was absolutely peaceful. the people most relaxed were the security personnel at the complex who had precious little to do. we set out walking towards the ropeway over the srisailam dam and lake.a 10 minute walk turned out to be a warm up exercise.finally we reached the ropeway complex.

My parents were there yesterday night and are leaving today. Seems like an amazing place for winter. Eagerly waiting for the next leg. The road looks very good except for few patches. APTDC hotel also looks very decent.

Pravdr,
I would suggest the one I am using Canon D20 or D30, though it is a older model in the D series but very capable, with a shutter speed as high as 1/8000th and 5 frames per second.

For your further lens upgrades. D20 or 30 are not full frame cameras, hence you will have an advantage of the 1.6 crop factor which can be useful when you are shooting wildlife (for eg. my 400mm lens equates to 640mm on the D20 body). Downside is when you are shooting wide angle shots, a wide angle shot at18mm equates to 24mm.
Full frame cameras are comparatively very expensive in all brands.

When you buy the camera, go for 18- 55mm IS (Image Stabilizer) lens, with this you can shoot in low light conditions, (4 stops down) it will cost you marginally more than a standard lens that comes with the body.

D20 and D30 have an magnesium alloy body which is very strong as compared to the later D series.

Do not go for any later D series as you will paying much much more for things that are not worth it. Since D20 and 30 are not latest ones, they will be much more cheaper and believe me...Value for money.

Going through your travelogue is my pleasure and I should be thanking you for it.
Regards,

a direction of 10 minutes towards ropeway turned out tobe a nice 20 mins walk which did wonders for warming us up.there was chill in the air.numerous barricades all over the town made sense to walk it down towards the ropeway station.

the ropeway station is situated high above the srisailam dam with the boating station and ticket counter located at the boating station on the lake below.the ropeway connects the two.
the location is dramatic fit to shoot 007 BOND film.
since there we no tourists our trip down was with the boating station personnel. usuallty the two four cablecar train starts simultaneously in both directions to save on power and maintain rhythm.
at the boating station we had the whole boat to ourselves we took numerous snaps and the cable journey boating station and the dam cruise.i wa thinking of the akkamakkai caves cruise but due to time constraint we took the dam cruise. im sure fazal will tell me that i should have done the akkamakkai caves cruise. maybe next time.
let the experience unfold in terms of pictures

1 ropeway complex
2 high above the srisailam dam which itself is 1000 ft above sealevel
3 at the cablecar station
4 cable car machinery
5 cable car boarding(no KF hostessess here)
6 dense forest on the hills above the dam
7 descending cable cars
8 towards the lake
9 cable car descending towards the placid lake
10 arrival at boating station

the krishna river here flowed through a narrow inaccessible deep gorge and hence was called patalganga (the river flowing through netherworld)

pilgrims of original days did not have the ropeway to go down to these crocodile and tiger infested jungles for the purification bath. even today pilgrims are advised not to bathe here except a few points.

there is evidence that a much older ropeway now defunct existed here before this new avatar came up.

1 boats lie idle at the jetty
2
3
4 myself content with the atmosphere
5 on the cruise
6
7
8 beautiful vistas of the lake
9 me enjoying the cruise
10 power infrastructure
11 views of srisailam hill from the dam
12 temple dome in backdrop with ropeway station and boating station in foreground
13

I sure will.
It is Akka Mahdadevi caves. There are two ways to go there, for the smart and intelligent, it is by boat and for the foolish and dumb like us it is by (11 km one-way) trek.
Check out this thread for the full story and pics.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...km-trek-3.html
Regards,

thanks fazal saab

yes it should be akka mahadevi caves.

the trek does seeem to be every bit worth it.

regards

pg

yes ampere its an amazing place the more you see it more you like it.

it must be hot in andhra let me know how was the darshan and how was your parents experience.

regards

pg