Thursday, November 06, 2008

Future B-School Student? - Enjoy!

Came across this video ad on Youtube...this is hilarious !

Already an MBA - Still enjoy!!



Hi Pareekh no offence meant !!

Phil Collins - Another day in paradise..

One of my most favorite songs:

AKEELAH and the BEE - many different shades in just 9.50 minutes!

The quote in the Video below gives every mind a food for thought for a while....and has many different shades of human psyche featured beautifully ...




What is faith?

Emotion - Logic = Faith

Amazing video - lions vs buffalo vs crocodile - who is the winner ? watch to know the answer!!!!



(Watch the full video to know the answer)

Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed

Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed


Taken from - Battle at Kruger

Every cloud has a silver lining !

Every cloud has a silver lining .....a beautiful time of day around 4.30 pm on the way to Humcha gave me the privilege of capturing this quote in a pic....Keep smiling

Jog falls and monkeys !!


Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in autumn is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a monkey singing ''Embraceable You'' in spats........this was a kodak moment at Jog falls !!!!

World famous Jog falls !! - 3

The above pic is of River Sharavathi...taken on the way to other point ...of watching this magnificient waterfall..

We walked further and after a few moments falls was visible. Suddenly fog raised from bottom...there was frequently drizzling too. It was amazing, to watch the fog playing hide n seek. Somehow managed to click some good snaps..above one among those pics..

This is also the stream from Jog falls taken from different angle...the milky white water colour forced me to fall for this pic...


Oh Oh oops ! this is the view of the all the way we covered to feel the water splashes and the fall view from near...Can you see the small blue colour point in the snap..that is one of the haltss, I mentioned in my previous post..I myself am stunned that how could I and Pareekh cover this great distance...

Well this is Mr. Pareekh Jain, my friend, philosopher, guide and life....at the back is the view of River Sharavathi....

It took 4 hours in all to have the view of waterfall to our hearts content....We started back for Shimoga at around 5:30 pm and reached back to the hotel at about 8:30 pm

World famous Jog falls !! - 2

This pics show the complete view of Jog falls...the wondrous sight of river Sharavathi taking a spectacular leap into the chasm from a height of 900 feet....

World famous Jog falls !! - 1

Jog falls - are also known as The Gerusoppe falls. Jog falls is created by the River Sharavathi falling from a height of 292m i.e (958 ft).

Jog is situated around 32 Km from a small town Sagara, and is 379 Km away from Bangalore.From Shimoga, Jog falls is approx 108 kms. It took 2.5 hrs by taxi to reach there. The road was fine, and together with awesome weather and music in car, the whole atmosphere was just ultimate..

We carried snacks, chips, biscuits etc with us as there is just one restaurant at Jog..that too not holding very good reputation with regard to food..which on reaching there was clearly visible....you will not be left hungry, but you will definitely not enjoy food...

It was raining when we reached Jog, but after a while it stopped...

This is the pic right after the rain, mist all around is visible, this was truly an extremely beautiful moment to see the cloudy veil of Jog fleeting away...

There are approx 1250 steps cut into rocks that lead you to the very depths of the fall and shower you with vaporous spray that bounces off these rocks.....guess what!! we covered them all..it was a thrilling experience....Pareekh's company made it adventure with all the fun....There were blue colour small huts on the way, sort of halts..where glucose and soda lemon and other soft drinks were being provided..This pic is taken from a small tea-stall almost hanging from a slice of rock that gives you the most beautiful view of the falls.

These are the pics taken when we reached the bottom water area of the falls....It was a thrilling experience, we could hear the roaring water falling from above and and and it was mesmerising scene to watch water falling from above...





This is picture taken while our return from bottom water areas of the fall to the top .... it was extremely tiring to climb all those 1250 steps as they were very rough and slippery but such beautiful scenes every now and then provided us with all the required zeal during those moments....

The two pics below are ultimate example of beauty ...just see the rainbow formed in the falling waterfall.... it was forming and disapperaing every now and then, was lucky to capture this wonderful natural occurance....



Day 1 - Humcha - Jain Pilgrimage centre


Sri Parshvanath Bhagwan in black color, seated in a semi-lotus posture (Padmasana posture) and of height 120 cms in a shrine in the village of Humbaj Humcha : 54 kms from Shimoga city.

The main attraction of Humcha is the Padmavathi Amma's temple. The Ma Padmavati's temple is very rich and splendid. The idol of Padmavatidevi is very miraculous and expressive.The like of it is not found elsewhere. It is believed that the mere sight of Ma Padmavatidevi fulfils the wishes of the worshippers. Darshan of Ma Padmavati gave us both a great feeling....We are lucky to be blessed by Ma Padmavati's blessings as it is said that a couple blessed by Ma Padmavati never gets seperated and the love and bond between them grows more and more strong with time...

Picture of Jain temple at Humcha - We reached at night so this is the temple entrance view at night...It is better to visit the temple during day time as the road to Humcha is surrounded by dense growth of trees (more gives a look of forest) on both sides.

Humbaj (better known as Humcha or Hamchawadi) is famous for being home to an ancient temple of Goddess Padmavati, and to the Humbaj Matha (seminary/monastery), an important institution of the Jain community.

From Bangalore via Shimoga this shrine is 340Kms away.

By 9:30 we were back to Hotel Jewel rock in Shimoga...



Our trip to Humcha and Jog falls

In oct/ nov 06, we went to Humcha - a Jain Pilgrimage centre and the world famous Jog Falls. We started on 30th morning from Bangalore. Weather was just great as is visible from the pic also. The clouds were covering the whole sky, no where the sun was peeping out.

We had our breakfast cum lunch at Kamat Upachar on Tumkur road. We reached Shimoga at around 4 p.m. Shimoga is located about 274 Km. from Bangalore. You need to take Tumkur road(NH 4) from Bangalore and turn left to NH 206 in Tumkur, drive via Shimoga and Sagar towns to reach Jog falls.. Shimoga is a good city to break for some refreshments/staying.

Only good hotel at Shimoga is Hotel Jewel Rock - (pic above). We booked the hotel for 3 days. Our stay at the hotel was quite comfortable. Both South/north Indian food is available here. Even the charges were decent - one day A/C room charge Rs 800/-. What less than this can you expect !!! After getting refreshed we started for Humcha on 30th itself at around 5:30 p.m.

Our visit to TALAKAD - 4

I found this piece of architecture to be most amazing in whole of Talakad. This signifies the name of the king Nagakundala -- there is naga (snake) and kundala (rings). Initially there were 4 kundalas but now only two remain... made from one piece of stone, isn't this grand......












This is the personification of the Lord Shiva's Nandi bull. On closely looking, one can see the face of Nandi bull on the stomach of this statue on the wall.














The main temple in Talakad is the Vaidyanatheswara Temple. Excavation work is still going on as can be seen in this pic.

Our visit to TALAKAD - 3

Besides the pancha lingas, there are many other magnificent temples in Talakad. Another magnificent structure is the Keerthinarayana temple, which is the only temple in Talakad to have been constructed in the Hoysala style of architecture. In 1117, Vishnuvardh-ana, one of the greatest rulers of the Hoysala dynasty seized Talakad from the Cholas and assumed the title of Talakadugonda. In commemoration of this achievement, he built the Keerthinarayana temple at Talakad.


Inside the sanctum sanctorum stands an eight-foot-tall statue of Keerthinarayana. Recent excavations in the temple complex have brought to light remains of earlier centuries. Among the findings are an intricately-carved mantapa (with carvings of Ugranarasimha) made of stone, which is about 12 foot tall. A thulasikatte, remnants of a Garuda kamba, two stone inscriptions and walls of an unknown structure were also found here.

The efforts of the archaeological department are laudable in this regard. Each piece of stone has been numbered, and the mantapas are being rebuilt bit by bit. Work is still on at the site of excavation. The painstaking efforts of the archaeologists is bound to bring to light some more astounding facts about the structures that once stood in the precincts of the Keerthi-narayana temple. Currently, the repair work is on in the temple complex, for which the southern entrance has been sealed. It could probably bring to light some more facts that could enlighten us about the history of the temple. Although half-buried in sand, the Keerthinarayana temple still looks majestic.

Our visit to TALAKAD - 2

The Shivalinga in this pic is brown in colour, everywhere we find black or white shivalinga but this is different. This is more than 1200 years old....
The Vaidyeshsara temple along with four others - Arkeshwara, Vasukishwara or Pataleshwara, Saikateshwara or Maraleshwara and Mallikarjuna constitute the Panchalingams here. These five Lingams are said to represent the five faces of Shiva. The Pataleshwara Shivalingam is said to change colors during the day (red in the morning, black in the afternoon and white in the evening)

Our visit to TALAKAD - 1

Last week we also visited Talakad along with Shivasamudra falls.Talakad is located around 60 kms towards east of Mysore City and is on the banks of river "KAVERI". This place was once the capital city of "Ganga Dynasty".

Many of the temples were submerged in the sands of river kaveri. Now they have been unearthed by archeological dept of India. The meeting place of two rivers Kapila and Kaveri at this place makes it a beautiful. It is believed that more than 30 temples in Talakad are covered by sand.

There are many legends associated with this place which are amazing.

This is one of the temples at Talkad, one can see the excavation work still going on. I visited this temple from inside, though Pareekh preferred to stay outside. There is definitely something divine about this place. I cannot define it but had a very nice feeling, felt like sitting for sometime inside with eyes closed, but did not as we had lot more to discover in this area.

The presence of a large mass of sand in Talakad amid lush green vegetation is something that is worth pondering. While geologists say that Talakad is filed with sand carried by the wind from the dry bed of river Cauvery, the locals still prefer to go by the age-old tale of Alamelamma and her curse. Several interesting legends surround this place.. About 400 years ago, Srirangapatana is supposed to have been under the control of the mighty Vijayanagar empire. Alamelamma was the wife of the king’s representative named Srirangaraya. Every Tuesday and Friday, Sri Ranganaya-kamma borrowed Alame-lamma’s jewels and returned it after the pooja. Meanwhile, Srirangaraya developed a tumour on his back, resembling the hood of a cobra (the disease is called Bennu Phani Roga or Raja Roga in Kannada). Srirangaraya, along with his wife, came to Talakad to worship Vaidyanatheshwara with the hope of being cured of his ailment. Srirangaraya, however, did not survive for long, and his wife settled down in a small village called Malangi. During this period, the Wodeyars took over Srirangapatna, and started demanding the jewels. When Alamelamma could not bear it no more, she sent a nose ring to Srirangapatana and jumped into a pond in Malangi with the remaining jewels. Before she ended her life, Alamelamma is supposed to have uttered three curses, of which one is “Talakadu Marulagi.” When translated to English, it means, “Let Talakadu be covered with sand.” The locals still believe that Alamelamma’s curse is the cause for the large mass of sand in Talakad.

Shivasamudram Falls

This weekend we went to Shivasamudram falls, about 40 km from Maddur situated in Mandya district and just 120 km from Bangalore.Cauvery river courses through many a gorge providing splendid waterfalls on the way. Shivasamudram falls is the second biggest water falls in India.

It is great to discover nature's handiwork in this majestic form. Forested hills and lush green valleys cradle a small hamlet and two fine temples, which provide a startlingly calm setting for the river Cauvery as it plummets from the height of 75 m into a deep rocky gorge with a deafening roar to form two picturesque falls, Barachukki and Gaganchukki. Watching the Cauvery in spate, crashing into a cloud of foaming spray, is an exhilarating experience. Downstream from the falls is Asia's first Hydro - electric project, established at the behest of Sir M Visvesvaraya in 1902.


Our Mysore trip - 6


The musical fountains and colourful lights turn this place into an enchanting fairyland in the evenings.









Every evening the gardens come alive in a burst of dazzling colours and illumination when twirling and dancing fountains lend an atmosphere of enchantment to this fairyland.








Brindavan Gardens are basically terrace gardens that have been landscaped with decorated steps where water flows in-between these ornate steps. How beautiful water flow is looking even in pictures just imagine the beauty when you view it all real !!!








With the splendid play of lights and musical fountains one could feel the charm of heaven on earth.








Our Mysore trip - 5

The tranquil ornamented gardens are laid out below the Krishna raja Sagar dam Brindavan gardens is located 12 Kms north-west of Mysore city and has rows-of colourful myraid of fountains, cascading and springing into different shapes, amidst the surrounding greenery and flowers is an invigorating sight


The garden is embellished with vast expanses of well-laid out lawns, diverse kaleidoscopic rows of flowers and above all the amazing site of fountains encompassing a small beautiful lake holding the charm of musical fountain in its center.










Our Mysore trip - 4


Krishnaraja Sagar dam is India's first irrigation dam, built in 1924.The dam is over 3 Kms long and is constructed at the junction of three rivers - Kaveri, Hemavati and Lakshmanathirtha.

This dam not only served as a model to several dams in India, but also was a testimony to prove the superiority of surkhi (a mixture of brick powder and lime) over cement, in dam construction. It is located 12 Kms north-west of Mysore city.

Our Mysore trip - 3


This is Nandi (Shiva's holy bull) carved out of a large granite. It is halfway up the Chamundi hill, along the road. Well it is 16 foot high and 25 feet long. It was great to view it. It looked grand.

Our Mysore trip - 2


Sri Chamundeswari Temple is located on top of picturesque Chamundi Hills near Mysore in the state of Karnataka. Sri Chamundeswari Temple was build in 12th century however its tower is relatively new about 300 years old. The temple has a seven story tall and 40 metre high 'gopuram' adorned with intricate carvings.The idol of the Chamunda Devi is made up of solid gold and the gates of the temple are made of silver.

Our Mysore trip - 1

In Aug 06, I and P went to Mysore, our trip was just great fun.

Mysore enchants everyone who visits it with its quaint charm.Somebody rightly wrote -- "There's an old world charm about the city that reaches out and leaves no one untouched.Mysore is the second biggest city in the State of Karnataka lying 130 from the State Headquarters, Bangalore. The city is famous for silk and is a thriving sandalwood and incense centre.

On the way we had Dosa in breakfast at Kamat’s Lokaruchi , approx 55 kms from Bangalore on right side of the highway.The whole environment at Kamat Lokaruchi was traditional.The dosa was yummy, especially when you do not get a north indian taste of Dosa in south, Kamat's dosa tasted yummy as it resembled bit of the north indian taste.


In the Pic on the right, is the Tipu Sultan's tomb at Srirangapatna on the Mysore Bangalore highway at a distance of 15 KM from Mysore.






Cute prayer !



This was a forward message I received today, nice, cute and at the same time gives you a food for thought....

well does it really gives a food for thought ... have a sort of doubt ?????????

Land of midnight sun - 7

Nature is incomparable !!!!!!!


Never loose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful for Beauty is God's creation -- even in pictures !!!!!!!!!

Land of midnight sun - 6

Norway - Combination of nature with human contribution to nature itself





Oslo coast