27 March 2015
We had planned to
leave early, but the bed was comfortable that I just couldnt resist sleeping
longer. Finally at about 9, we checked out and drove off to Aihole.
Aihole is barely
44 kms from Badami and the road is small tar road with pretty much less
traffic. It was about 10 when we reached there.
First thing we
saw was a house like structure on the left side of the road. The sign read
"Huchchiappa Gudi". We left our car near the entrance and entered the
well
cared ruins.
There is no idol inside the temple. When we were descending the steps, we saw
another structure towards our right side, we planned to there after exploring this
one.
The temples of Aihole
are grouped as Konthi, Tryambakeshwara, Galaganatha and Jain Basadis.
Huchichiappa Gudi
is a small structure so quickly we moved to the next ruins. When we were
entering these ruins, we saw another one a bit further, so it was next in line and another
one even more further... Soon I realized that there is a series of ruins and
the exploration is going to take long time. in fact it was going to be much more than
what I had anticipated. 
We went around
for quiet sometime and then drove off to Lad Khan Temple. This complex, again
under ASI is well maintained facility. There are number of ruins here namely, Durga
Temple, Ladkhan Temple etc.
We had cane juice
before entering here. It is very important to keep yourself hydrated on a sunny
day like this one.
 |
| Durga Temple |
The Durga Temple and
Ladkhan temple, both are architectural wonders. My friend is an architect and
she kept mentioning about both these temples. Apart from these two the complex
also houses a well and a few other temples. It was 1:30 when I checked my watch
and we decided to leave immediately as we needed to reach Pune by day end.
Google counted the
distance as 458KM from Aihole to my place. However, since the highways are of
superb quality we were much sure that we will cover the distance.
 |
| The Rath at Kudal Sangam |
We were told to
have lunch at Kudal Sangam. Kudal Sangam is a confluence of two rivers, Krishna
and Malaprabha. We went round and round before we could find Kamat. Kamat
Served yet another tasty meal and we drove off towards Vijapur.
The road... I
tell you... "it is amazing" is only an ordinary description. I am sad
that I was not driving a SUV but I am happy that my car is in awesome condition
even at 14.
In no time, we
were passing from the outskirts of Bijapur. The Gol Ghumbaz marked the skyline
of the city. I almost coerced my buddy to visit the monument. Being an architect, She
was also fascinated by the building yet was doing her best to avoid this.
 |
| Near Bijapur |
Finally we were
in the parking and she almost warned me to leave at the earliest. The people
were acting crazy and shouting on top of their voices and the entire place felt
like a mental institution. Our guide was also upset as his demonstrations were
hampered by the public around. He suggested exploring the horizon for some
time. Soon it was 6 PM and most of the people left. Now, he started his
demonstrations all over again. I was amazed by this engineering marvel. The building
is constructed in such a way that sound as small as palms being rubbed against
each other is also
heard all over the place. I am still amazed by this.
 |
| Gol Ghumbaz |
It was closure time and we
were asked to leave. Apart from Gol Ghumbaz. I wanted to visit the cannon
Malika-E-Maidan. Since it was already sundown, we had to trash that idea and
move ahead.
 |
| Jnana Prabodhini Bhavan |
We realized that
it would be a daring idea to drive to Pune late in night on a highway and we
decided not to take chances. So per discussions, we decided to stay at our Alma
Mater - Jnana Prabodhini's Solapur Branch. I have no words to describe the
feeling. I was also elevated by idea of attending Upasana next morning.
We had reached
late and the kitchen was left open only for us to have dinner. The
lovely food was kept for us on the table. We were about to serve ourselves when
Amol dada and another guy came over to serve the food. They made us comfortable
like being at home. We hurried back to the room, put up all gadgets on charging
and slept early as we wanted to attend Upasana next morning.
Jnana Prabodhini is the
foundation of my soul and character, an eternal source of strength. I draw most of my power from the firm principles
it has instilled in me. Missing Upasana when everything was on my side would have
been the greatest sin of my life.
28 March 2015:
It was about 5:00
AM when we woke up. Both of us rushed to the bathroom and quickly got ready for
Upasana.
 |
| Upasana Mandir |
Everyone associated with JnanaPrabodhini attends Upasana. Upasana is way of meditation. During the school days, I never
understood the importance of this process however life's various experiences taught
me the importance.
So, at sharp 6:15 AM we were at the Upasana Mandir. The Upasana Mandir resembled very much like the one at the Pune
Building. Humming the same old mantras, I could feel the positivity blooming inside me. The
experience was beyond words. All I can say here is, it felt like a homecoming
of a reincarnated soul.
 |
| Near Pune |
We made handful
pit stops before reaching my place at about 12:30.
