After enjoying at Tirathgarh Falls we started to Chitrakoot Falls. The distance from Tirathgarh to Chitrakoot falls is close to 60 km, taking us around one and a half hour to reach there. It was almost 7 pm when we reached the resort at Chitrakoot falls. The resort where we had booked our stay was Dandami luxury resort, operated by Tourism department of Chhattisgarh. We had booked a few Luxury tents and few cottages. The tents costing Rs 3,000 per day and cottages costing Rs 2,500 per day. Though I had paid for the tent, after going there, I opted for the cottage and exchanged mine with someone else. After having our dinner, we relaxed in our accommodation tired with the long travel and getting wet in the Tirathgarh falls.

View from the room

The resort is lovely. We have lovely views of the Chitrakoot falls right from the rooms. Rooms are spacious and convenient. There is scope for improvement regarding the food. But since this trip was 3.5 years ago, it may have improved.

Morning woke up early to get the best views of the falls. The Chitrakoot Falls are at a walking distance from the resort. It was a beautiful sight.

While going nearer to the falls

The walking path to the Falls.

The Chitrakoot Falls is the widest falls in India. It is a horseshoe shaped gorge, covering a width of about 300 metres (980 ft). It has a free fall of about 30 metres (98 ft) and is called the Mini Niagara or Niagara of India. On the left bank of the Chitrakoot Falls, a small Hindu shrine dedicated to the god Shiva is in a naturally created grotto. Local boat facilities operating below and under the falls in a misty atmosphere provide views of the falls under an early morning sun. We did not go for it but enjoyed the views from top. The water is very muddy. It is the water of the Indravati river which originates in Odisha, in the Vindhya range of hills, drops as Chitrakoot falls, proceeds westwards to Telangana and then flows into the River Godavari.

Shrine of Lord Shiva in a naturally formed grotto.

Captured a rainbow among other pictures and went back to the resort to have our breakfast. At 10 am, we decided to start back and stop once again at Tirathgarh falls, for a short time. After spending an hour over there totally we started the journey back. After our food breaks, by the time we reached Visakhapatnam, it was a little after 9 pm.

Though the journey was very tiring, very happy to have been to both the Falls.

In August 2015, a group of our friends had planned a trip to Tirathgarh and Chitrakoot falls, which lie in the Bastar district, in the state of Chhattisgarh.

We had decided to go by road from Visakhapatnam. We started at Visakhapatnam at a little past 7 am. At around 8.30 am halted for breakfast enroute. Half an hour of our time was consumed there and then we proceeded to Tirathgarh Falls. Visakhapatnam to Tirathgarh falls is approximately 335 km, which takes us about 7.5 hours to go. We went via Salur, Koraput and Jeypore, finally reaching Jagdalpur which is a major city and the administrative headquarters of Bastar district. We had stopped for lunch too enroute. Tirathgarh waterfalls is 30 km from Jagdalpur, which takes about 40 minutes to go. It was around 3.30 pm by the time we reached Tirathgarh falls.

Bastar district has a lot of forest area and the scenery is beautiful, yet there remains the threat of Maoists in that area. Hence it is better not to go after dark.

Views from the top

The Teerathgarh Falls is a block type waterfall on the Kanger River. The water appears milky white and has a drop of 91 metres (299 ft). After clicking some pictures from the top of the falls, we descended to the lower part, which is where the fun part starts.

The rocks are in such a way that it is easy to climb up to a point, underneath the falls. We can sit beneath the water. The left side was relatively safer, with the flow a little less, which was safe even for the children to play in. The right side flow was a bit forceful so not too safe for anyone. Having said that, it didn’t stop some people from trying to go there. 90 percent of our group went below the water and got drenched and had a real fun time, while the others were busy clicking pictures. After spending close to 2 hours over there, we started to Chitrakoot falls.

May 18th

Got up very early in the morning and got ready to go to Badrinath. Though we had informed the receptionist that we would be checking out at 6 am, nobody was present at the reception. We had to wait till 7 am for the receptionist to arrive and then we checked out.
Starting towards Badrinath, we went past Vishnu Prayag, which is the confluence of Alakananda river and Dauli Ganga river. The roads were good at places but very narrow at some places. Basically the route to Badrinath is more landslide prone.
Tourists are checked at various points and we keep getting messages about which road to avoid, the advantages of registering and giving our biometrics. We had to go at a slower speed because of the narrow roads and by the time we reached Badrinath, it was 11 am.

View from the queue and the Alakananda river flowing beside

Immediately we went and stood in the line to have darshan of Badrinathji. The queue was serpentine and we were standing on a cliff side. Hawkers came to sell some keychains and coins having the images of Badrinathji and we bought a few to distribute to our friends. Later our queue progressed and we reached the interior of the temple. The darshan of Badrinathji was a bit rushed due to the huge crowd, but once we came out the door had a lovely darshan of Mahalakshmi Maa.

Badrinath Temple

Then we came to Brahma Kapal and Tapt kund which are at a lower level than the temple. Tapt kund is hot sulfur springs which are believed to be medicinal. While the temperature at that time was 14 degrees Centigrade, the Tapt kund waters have a temperature of 55 degrees Centigrade throughout the year. My husband and my cousin had planned to get Pind daan at Brahma Kapal for their departed mothers, so they undertook the rituals there. It is believed that if Pind daan is done in Brahma Kapal for your departed parents or ancestors, then you do not have to do Pind daan again and the ancestors will be free of rebirth. Overall we were very happy with our Badrinath darshan and all the related rituals being done satisfactorily. We were so happy, that I had forgotten all about Mana which is the last Indian village before the China/Tibet border, which I had planned to see. Mana village is 4 km from Badrinath, situated at a height of around 3219 meters, on the banks of the river Saraswati.

We had lunch at a hotel in Badrinath and started the return journey at 2 pm. Our night halt was to be at Rudra Prayag. We reached Rudra Prayag at 7 pm after going past Vishnu Prayag, Nand Prayag and Karna Prayag. It was dark by the time we reached the Rudra Prayag GMVN hotel. The rooms were Rs 3,000 each, they were good. After checking in, we relaxed for a bit and had an early dinner. Though we could hear the sound of the river, we thought we could explore in the morning. By then, we were travelling for 4 days so we were a bit worn out. We decided to take proper rest and leave relaxedly the next day as we didn’t have any other program.

Thus ended day 4.

May 19th

Woke up to the sound of the gushing river. Opened the balcony door to a wonderous sight. We were right on the banks of the river and Rudra Prayag was right in front of us.

Rudra Prayag

Rudra Prayag is the confluence of the Alakananda river and Mandakini River. Sat peacefully enjoying the sight for sometime. Then we had breakfast and after packing, we checked out at around 10am and started back. On the way we stopped for lunch at Rishikesh and by the time we reached Dehradun, it was close to 4pm. By then we got a message that there had been a major landslide on the way to Badrinath and the tourists were stranded. We had escaped that fate by a day.

Thus ended our successful trip to Kedarnath and Badrinath.

May 17th

Post midnight, time refused to progress. It was extremely cold, with the temperatures going into the negative and inspite of the thermals, jackets, gloves and socks, and the rajai and blanket provided, sleeping was an issue due to the cold. Was desperately waiting for morning so that we could leave early. No matter how many times I checked my watch, time refused to move. If I turned a little, then immediately the pillow and mattress would become ice cold, where the body contact left it. People who cannot handle cold shouldn’t stay overnight in Kedarnath when the temperatures are so low.

Finally at 5 am, got up and freshened up, by 6 am we were at the hall where the passengers were. Since many more people had the same idea as us, there was a long queue by then, for people to leave. Immediately we understood that our turn would come only after an hour. As our luck would have it, by the time our turn came, the break for a couple of hours for Pawan Hans got implemented, so we knew that we would be flown only after 10 am.

Helipad at Kedarnath

Went and had breakfast and then came back to stay in the line. Finally we were flown back to Phata and we reached there at around 11 am. Felt happy to receive the warmth of the sun after the cold night. Our driver was waiting for us there and so we continued our journey.

Our next stay was at Auli near Joshimath. Originally we were supposed to go to Ukhimath, from there to Rudraprayag and then come up to Chamoli via Karnaprayag and Nandaprayag as the other route was under repair. But luckily for us, the route from Ukhimath to Chamoli was open the previous day thereby saving us a lot of extra journey and time. That route goes through wilderness and forest area. It was very beautiful but made me a little nervous too. Main thing about Uttarakhand roads is that they have the hills/mountains on one side and valleys and sheer drops on the other side. Some roads have ample space for two vehicles, but on most of the roads two vehicles crossing, is a bit of a juggle. And some parts of the roads have space for only one vehicle. So the entire 5 day trip we were very thankful to the experienced driver that my cousin provided us with. From Chamoli, we went up north to Joshimath and we went to Auli for our stay. Though most of the route we covered was wilderness, where there was a town, we searched for GMVN hotels to take a snack break and to use washrooms.

View from the Auli GMVN hotel

Finally at around 5.30 pm reached Auli GMVN hotel. The view from the hotel was beautiful. Though the room was comfortable, heaters were not provided and moreover they said they had an power outage and would put the generator on for a limited time. So we had to bear the cold. After charging Rs 3,500 per room, I felt it was unfair not to provide proper electricity. So was very unhappy, but relaxed for the night as we had to start early again the next day.

Thus ended day 3.

May 16th

Morning woke up a bit early and got ready for the journey ahead. Took a couple of pictures of the lovely view and started to Phata which is 14.5 km from Guptkashi. It took around 40 minutes to reach Phata to the Pawan Hans Helicopter pad and office.

People going to Kedarnath, book helicopters from Phata. Various Helicopters services ply between Phata and Kedarnath. Bookings are done much in advance. Very few people are lucky enough to get a ride on the spot. The bookings open a few days before the season and normally get over very fast. So people who want to book online have to be on the lookout and ready to book, whenever the bookings open. People who do not book for helicopter go through a longer distance by trekking or on mules. There are 6 to 7 services and as the airtime is restricted, only 2 services are given time to ply for an hour for each services, post which they have to wait for a couple of hours before they can take the next batch. They work precisely taking care not to loose much time. By the time we can board, a person carries our luggage and keeps it in while the passengers have to board fast. The time in air is 8 minutes and again as soon as the helicopter reaches the Kedarnath pad, we have to jump with our heads bent low and run while a guys brings our bags, at the same time people who are boarding get in and their bags are put in and the helicopter leaves. They are like clockwork, precise.

We had booked for Pawan Hans helicopter service. When we reached their office, first our weight was recorded. Passengers have to be below 90 kgs otherwise they will have to pay for the extra weight. Each person is allowed a bag of 8 kgs or less weight. Nothing more. Per trip 5 or 6 people are taken. Depending on the weight of the persons the passengers are adjusted. We were a group of 4 tall people hence we were split up according to our weights. Two of us had to go with 4 other people and the rest 2 came later.

I was in the first trip and was lucky enough to be seated beside the pilot. For the 8 minutes in air, I had a birds eye view of the beautiful Himalayas, which was an unexpected bonus. Then we reached Kedarnath helipad and got down and ran and then took our bags. Searched for the GMVN tent to find out where our cottage was booked. Finally approached them and took the keys for our cottage.

One of the bunk bed

The cottage had 2 rooms, each room having 2 bunk beds, thereby making way for 8 people totally. We took a room for the four of us and it costed us Rs 2,400 and the other room was taken by another family. There was a common washroom for both the rooms, and a Rajai and woollen blanket are provided for each bed. After keeping our bags in, we waited for the other two of our party (my brother & cousin) to arrive. They came two hours later at around 2pm.

Till then I soaked in the atmosphere of Kedarnath. Admiring the Majestic snow clad Himalayas, the porters who carry people and bags, the makeshift eateries and everything. As soon as my brothers came, we kept their bags in the room and went to have lunch that was provided to the pilgrims.

Cream colour tents under which we sat and had our lunch.

Before starting on the trip checked in accuweather website regarding the probable weather in all the places that we would go to. So I knew that Kedarnath would be very cold. Maximum was 6 degrees and minimum was -2 degrees. So all of us wore thermal wear in the morning itself, then our regular wear and we had jackets on. Carried gloves and an extra pair of socks too for the night, since we were staying overnight. The weather there kept changing so fast, that it was sunny for few moments, cloudy the next.

As soon as we finished lunch, we left to the temple to have darshan of Kedarnathji. Stood in the queue. The queue was in open air with nothing overhead to protect us from the elements. Since the sun was shining and the weather was cool, we stood comfortably, taking in the aura and admiring the surroundings. The destruction of 2013 floods was still visible making me sad remembering the havoc that was wrecked. My brother saw raincoats (temporary ones made with thick polythene sheets) and wanted to buy for the 4 of us, the costed Rs 40 each. Though I thought we wouldn’t need it, he went ahead and bought 4 raincoats. We had progressed a little in the queue, when we came to know that the temple doors had shut and would be open only after an hour. We decided to stay back as going out of the queue at that point would take us back to the end of the queue which had increased by then.

Kedarnath temple

Suddenly it became dark and cloudy and started to rain, we wore the raincoats that we had, quickly over our jackets, and it started pouring heavily. As if that wasn’t enough to get us shivering, hailstones started, scattering us, trying to take shelter from the make shift shops that were there on both sides of the path. What an experience! We decided not to remove our sports shoes until we reached the entrance of the temple. Braving the cold, shivering, we stood there hoping that the temple doors would open soon and we would be able to have our darshan soon. Finally after a long time reached the temple entrance, quickly removed our shoes and went inside for the darshan. After the darshan, went behind the temple to see the rock that had safeguarded the temple from destruction in the flash floods. By then feet had become numb and we didnt know where we were placing our feet. Hurried back to the shoes and saw a Naga Sadhu sitting there blissfully, without any clothes on, without shivering, doing meditation. The Naga Sadhus are something else, not like ordinary people.

By the time we were back in the room, it was 7pm. We went for dinner, which was arranged at the same place and had dinner. Luckily hot water was provided to drink, thereby warming us a little.
We had decided to reach the Pawan Hans tent first thing in the morning so that we could go back in the first couple of helicopters. After wearing gloves and socks tried to go to sleep. It was terribly cold and I couldn’t sleep a wink the whole night. For people who cannot tolerate the cold, it is better to go back the same day rather than staying overnight.

Thus ended day 2.

May 15th

In the month of May 2017, we had planned to take a trip to Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand. We went to my cousins house in Dehradun and from there we were to start for the trip. Having a couple of days to kill, we took a trip to Dhanaulti and came back.

On May 14th we started on our trip. My cousin provided his Mahindra XUV along with a driver, so we were set for the journey. We started around 6.40am so that we could escape the traffic which would start after 7.30am. We halted at Rishikesh for breakfast at a roadside eatery and had tasty Aloo parathas with pickle. Then continued on our journey. When we reached Dev Prayag, the car tyre had a puncture and so we enjoyed the view of Dev Prayag while our driver took care of the tyre.

Dev Prayag

Prayag means the confluence of two rivers. There are 5 prayags in Uttarakhand called the Panch(5) Prayag which are considered to be holy as they are the confluence of two holy rivers.

Dev prayag is the confluence of Alakananda river and Bhagirathi river (which is the main stream of the Ganga). From this point the river is called the Mighty Ganga. The two rivers are very distinctive here. The Alakananda has muddy brown water and Bhagirathi has greenish clear water. After taking a few pictures, continued on our journey.

View at Guptkashi

We reached Guptkashi going through Kirtinagar and Srinagar, at around 4pm. We had booked 2 rooms for our stay for the night at GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam) Hotel at Guptkashi. The hotel is situated at a high altitude and the views were beautiful. The room was around Rs 3,000 per day and the room was very good and comfortable. At the hotel itself, there is an office where the biometrics are recorded of all tourists going to the Chaar dham (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath) yatra. Moreover this is the spot where people stay before going to Kedarnath hence if people require oxygen, it is provided here. Such offices are in all the major spots in Uttarakhand so that a record of the people going on the yatra will be maintained and any notices to be given are sent to our mobiles by sms. I think this has been after the floods of Uttarakhand in 2013, which was a major tragedy.

Then we went to the Vishwanath Mandir in Guptkashi, where the Shiva linga of Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi was safeguarded from the destruction of Aurangazeb when he occupied Vishwanath temple at Varanasi and converted it into Gyanvapi Mosque. This is another holy ancient temple where it is believed that Lord Shiva proposed to Parvati Devi. There is a tank in front of the temple, from which the water of rivers Ganga and Yamuna flow through two Lion heads on top of the temple tank. After the darshan here went back to the hotel and relaxed. The dinner was also good although with a limited variety of food items.

Thus ended day 1.

Dhanaulti is a picturesque hill station. Located at an altitude of 2,250 m in the state of Uttarakhand, it is a beautiful tourist spot. Placed on the edge of Tehri Garhwal District, it is 37 Km from Dehradun.

Two years ago, in the month of May, we had gone for a trip to Uttarakhand. We started at about 2 pm after having lunch at Dehradun. Till we started climbing the ghat road, it was sunny. Once we climbed a part of the ghat, it started raining heavily with hailstones. It was quite an adventerous journey as we couldn’t stop, fearing someone would dash into us in the low visibility, nor could we proceed quickly due to the visibility. Let me tell you, hailstones banging on the roof, windows and windshield of the car, with you inside is not a happy circumstance. Proceeding slowly, we finally reached Dhanaulti at 4.30 pm.

Surrounded by Deodars, Oaks and Rhododendrons, it is a peaceful and relaxed place. It has beautiful scenic trails and has views of the Himalayas.

Resort

Cottage with Dining area

We had booked two Eco tourism cottages. These cottages are lovely in scenic surroundings, made with bamboo. Checked into our cottages and after taking a few pictures, settled down to enjoy the cool surroundings. Though it was May 12th, and the areas where we came from were hot, it was quite cool in the evening. My cousin had warned us to carry jackets as it would be cold and so we were fine in the evening. At the onset of nightfall, the air became a little more chilly and night was pretty cold. Maybe because the huts were of bamboo and hence didn’t have proper insulation to save us from the cold. A boy got us food from a nearby outlet, and the food was good.

Got up a bit early as I wanted to enjoy the sunrise. If we do not enjoy sunrises in picturesque locales, I feel we are missing something precious.

After getting ready and having breakfast, we went to the Eco park which is opposite the resort. It has lovely trails and we went in, enjoying nature and beautiful views. After that we went to an Apple Orchard resort. Since it was not the season, we hardly saw apples, but had beautiful views to enjoy. Surkanda Devi Temple which is one of the Shakti peeta was located a few kilometers from there, but we didn’t go as the roads at that particular point of time were bad and we had to trek 5 km inside, which we were not up to doing.

Beside our resort, there were a few shops selling various items, of which the juices caught our attention. Rhododendron and Mint juices, where a small quantity was to be mixed with water, were tasty, so bought a bottle each to take home.

After taking lunch, we started back to Dehradun.

Dhanaulti is supposed to be very popular in winters as they have snowfall occasionally. But summer too is enjoyable. For those who love nature, Dhanaulti is a must see and the Eco tourism resort is the most beautiful place to be.

The Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled the Hyderabad region for 169 years in the 16th and 17th century. The Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, is one of the most significant historic medieval necropolises anywhere in the world, comprising mausoleums, mosques, step wells, garden structures etc. The tombs of the Qutb Shahi rulers and their family members lie here.

It is a serene place and a famous tourist spot of Hyderabad. It had been closed for 5 years, from 2013 to 2018, for restoration works. The restoration was taken up by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) with an agreement with the state government. Though restoration is still in progress in some places, a lot of restoration has been completed thus enabling visitors to enjoy the beauty and architecture of the work done on the tombs. The tombs are built on raised platforms, with Persian, Pathani and Indian style of architecture.

The first tomb as soon as we enter.

Two more tombs
 

A step well and the steps leading to the lower level.

Beautiful ornamentation on top.

Inside view of a big tomb.

Ornamental designs

This was the most beautiful one for me.

Well restored tombs.

I found late afternoon to be the best time to visit the tombs.

The tombs are open from 9.30am to 4.30pm every day, except on friday which is a holiday.

Mahanandi is a famous temple near Nandyal, Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Many people do not know that there are 9 Nandis totally and are around Mahanandi in a 15 km diameter range.

4. Shiva Nandi

This temple is ancient. Said to be from the time of Chalukyas.

The entrance with the dwarapalakas and Gajalakshmi on top.

Shivalinga here is supposed to be svayambhu and the garbagriha has an aura. Ceiling of garbagriha is low & we have to be careful during parikrama.

All around the temple there are structures like mini temples with Shivalinga inside them.

 

Ganesha carved beside on one of them and Ma on one.

5. Vishnu Nandi or Krishna Nandi.

This temple also is out of the regular road. A little into a wooded area & peaceful. This temple also looks quite old.

 

Temple tank                                                   Vishnu nandi

Sagara manthan and Elephants and nandis on the wall

Nandis and Rishis on the wall.

Doorway to garbagriha of Shiva again very beautiful. It has Vishnu & Lakshmi on one side, Brahma Saraswati on other and Shiva Parvati on top. Nagas also are there and notice the banana tree with fruits.

 

 

 

9. Surya Nandi

This temple is special because the rays of the sun fall on the Shivalinga everyday. And this temple too has an peaceful aura. Of all the Nandis I found this Nandi most beautiful. The face has life in it, what we call jeevakala (lively presence), ornamentally carved too.

With this, finished darshan of all Nava Nandis. Returned to Nandyal, stopped at Mallikarjuna Swamy temple again, thus finishing the tour. Anybody going to Nandyal, do not miss these nine nandis.

Papikondalu or Papi Hills is a range of the Eastern ghats between the West and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh state. The river Godavari flows through this hill range and tours to Papikondalu are famous as a weekend getaway.

There are various tour operators, that start from Rajahmundry. Few who take you on a one day tour, some tours have an overnight stay at bamboo huts and some tours club the trip with a drop at the holy shrine Bhadrachalam, the temple of Lord Rama.

My colleagues and me planned on a trip to Papikondalu with an overnight stay at the bamboo huts at Sirivaka, with a drop off at Bhadrachalam. It was an all ladies trip and we planned to enjoy the tour.

The travels were charging us Rs 3,000 to start at Rajahmundry at 8 am, with a night stay at Sirivaka bamboo huts till 3 the next afternoon and dropping us at Bhadrachalam at 6 pm. We had got tickets for APSRTC bus to get back home at 6 pm at Bhadrachalam. Hence we asked the tour operators to drop us at Bhadrachalam by 1pm. For this he had to book another boat exclusively for our party of 12 ladies, hence he charged us an extra 1,000 per person.

We took our trip in the second weekend of November. The weather was pleasant. Neither too hot nor too cold.

At 8 am we boarded the bus arranged by the travels to take us to the boat.

Previously, the boats used to start at Rajahmundry, but now they add Polavaram project to the sightseeing and hence take us by bus till the boats. Honestly, it is not worth it. The road is so bad that we can feel all the bones in our body, by the time we reach the boats. And the journey is close to 2 hours, thus even more painful.

By the time we departed from  the bus, we were thanking our stars that the ride was over. Then a colourful scene awaited us.

Boats of various tour operators were waiting for the passengers. Got onto the boat and went to the seating area on top. The boat ride was good. Each tour operator arranges music, DJ’s and dancing on their boats for the passengers to enjoy. Our boat had a guy who was a good dancer, who not only danced, but also made many passengers participate in various dances, thereby thoroughly entertaining us. Lunch was served on the boat. Simple vegetarian fare that was good.

We stopped at Perantallapalli, which is a small tribal village. A 20 minute break is given for us to go for sightseeing. There is a small Shiva temple inside and many tribals selling their tribal products.

After that, we were dropped at the bamboo huts of Sirivaka.

There are a few cement cottages and the rest are Bamboo huts. The huts don’t have any doors, except for a curtain for a little privacy. As this was a new phenomena for us and we were not expecting it, we didn’t know how to react. But within 10 minutes, seeing some families around, we were assured of safety. The huts are a feet and a half to 2 feet above ground level, so getting in can be problematic if older people come to stay. Inside, 3 mattresses were placed with pillows. Since we were carrying our bedsheets, that was enough for us. The washrooms for the tourists are decent, so no worries there. We can pay a little money and ask for hot water to bathe.

Towards the left side in the above picture is where food is served for all the tourists. People who want to have Bamboo chicken, which is a tribal delicacy can order beforehand and have it during dinner. The organisers provide vegetarian food.

Few of our friends went for trekking into the forest. Going in past 5.30pm is strictly discouraged, as the terrain can make you lose yourself in it. We had some anxious moments when the ladies who went for the trek didn’t come soon. Thankfully everyone returned safely, though a couple of them had got lost for a few minutes in between.

Some parties arranged for campfires. We all just sat out, enjoying the rustic and peaceful surroundings, in the lap of nature. From the time we get onto the boat, we do not have phone signals, hence we are not disturbed with any distractions. Nowadays everyone is so addicted to whatsapp and facebook, that no matter how peaceful your surroundings are, instead of enjoying it, people tend to spend time with their phones. Here that chance was not given, so it was a blessing.

Early morning the next day, I was up by 5 am as I didn’t want to miss the sunrise. The above picture is before sunrise, with lots of fog and mist. I enjoyed the beautiful sunrise, though my pictures didn’t come out well, so I am not sharing it and later at 8 am had breakfast.

The boat that was booked exclusively for us arrived at 9.30 am, but we started at 10 am.

Having an entire boat exclusively for us was fun.

Beautiful scenery around

This is the narrowest place where the Godavari flows between 2 hills. It is a mere 500 metres. The serenity envelops you and you are at peace.

Later we were dropped at a point from where we had to board a van to go to Bhadrachalam.

Bhadrachalam is in the Bhadradri district of Telangana state. Built by Kancherla Gopanna in the 17th century, it was built for Lord Rama. The deities are Lord Rama with Sita Devi and his brother Lakshmana. After having a darshan of Bhagvan, had lunch and  took rest for sometime as we had to take a bus at 6 pm to get back home.

Thus ended our weekend getaway to Papikondalu. Peaceful and lovely.