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Lepakshi Temple, near Bangalore, India, is built on a low, rocky hill called Kurmasailam — which translates to tortoise hill in Telugu, after the shape of the hill. The temple dates back to 1583 and was built by the brothers, Virupanna and Veeranna, who were initially in the service of the Vijayangar kings. However, Puranic lore has it that the Veerabhadra temple was built by the sage Agastya. It has idols of Ganesha, Nandi, Veerabhadra, Shiva, Bhadrakali, Vishnu and Lakshmi. Another legend gives the town a significant place in the Ramayana — this was where the bird Jatayu fell, wounded after a futile battle against Ravana who was carrying away Sita. When Sri Rama reached the spot, he saw the bird and said compassionately, “Le Pakshi” — ‘rise, bird’ in Telugu. Besides a Hanging Pillar, another draw is the spectacular Nandi (Bull), located almost a mile before the main temple — the first structure you will encounter. At 27ft in length and 15ft in height, it is a colossal structur...

This fort – locally pronounced as “Gutti” – is located in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh In India. Previously this place was known as Gowthampuri and later renamed as Gooty. This area was ruled by Ashoka the Great. A little later, this place was under the Vijayanagar Empire and king Krishnadevaraya was ruling over here. History moved slowly and Nayaka dynasties come into force and later Bahmani Sultunet also powered on this place. Mysore Kingdom ruled over this place and Haider Ali & Tipu Sultan were the administrators of this place for a long time. At last, Asaf Jahi ruled this place till the India got independence and the area merged with Union of India and lastly converted into Andhra Pradesh on 1st Jan 1960. The fort of Gooty considered the most ancient building in Andhra Pradesh hilly area. The very first inscriptions which were found here were written in Sanskrit or Kannada script and revealed the construction period of this fort as 7th century. According to variou...

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. The deity is about 8 feet (2.4 m) from the toes to the top of the crown and is considered the main source of energy for the temple. The Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The hills are 853 metres (2,799 ft) above sea level. The Hills comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri, on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. Hence the temple is also referred to as “Temple of Seven Hills”. Many piligrims walk up the hill to have darshan of Lord V...

Gandikota is a place with a combination of historical significance & natural beauty. Its a long weekend activity from Bangalore – and a good drive too. Gandikota is a small village on the right bank of the river Pennar, 15 km from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh. The fort of Gandikota acquired its name due to the ‘gorge’ (in Telugu it is called ‘gandi’), formed between the Erramala range of hills, also known as Gandikota hills and the river Pennar that flows at its foot, reducing its width to a mere 300 ft. Situated amidst beautiful landscape and wild forests, it is endowed with vast natural resources. Within the fort are two ancient temples, dedicated to Madhava and Ranganatha, both are in ruins and the fort area is full of the debris of ages and many ancient structures in varying stages of decay. The Jamia Masjid has two adjacent minarets. A heritage festival is held every year in fort area. Gandikota is really an amazing place to see. The size and scale...