Madurai

• Madurai can be covered as a part of trip to Kodaikanal. As such apart from the massive Minakshi Temple, there is not much in the city.
• Meenakshi Temple takes few hours to cover. They do not allow half pants and shorts as a respect to the goddess.
• Our stay is worth a mention here. The Heritage, Madurai is among the most majestic hotels we have stayed in. Large rooms, larger parks and an absolutely engaging campus made our visit more special.

Trip: Bangalore > Madurai > Kodaikanal > Bangalore

We started for Madurai early morning at 7 and as has been the ritual, we broke our fast at McDonalds Krishnagiri. Road from Bangalore to Krishnagiri is under construction. The slow pace was covered up by the fantastic stretch from Salem to Madurai. The 300 miles were covered in 7 hours. Heritage Madurai proved to be an excellent choice for hotel, thanks to Manish who booked in on cleartrip. The stay was royal. We unpacked and refreshed ourselves.

Golden Pillar @ Central Gopuram

Gwalior Fort

Trip: Delhi > Gwalior > Khajuraho > Raneh Falls & Delhi

Gwalior was a quicky. We were on our train to Delhi from Khajuraho when we saw the fort palace and decided to pay it a tribute. We had to look for a hotel or take Shatabdi @ 7.

View from right flank @ Gwalior Fort

Raneh Falls

Trip: Delhi > Gwalior > Khajuraho > Raneh Falls > Delhi

We reached Khajuraho by overnight train and booked a comfortable room in Ramada Hotel. The day had begun well but temperature was soaring. We were told about a majestic waterfall and we quickly went for it. Although the choice was simple, the route was deserted. We were in MP for the first time and it did scare us. The last part of road is dark into a jungle.

Raneh Waterfall near Khajuraho

Khajuraho

Trip: Delhi - Khajuraho - Gwalior - Delhi

• Khajuraho can be planned as a weekend getaway from Delhi. Overnight trains at convenient time run but travel need to be planned at least a month given limited seats.
• Temples should be visited early morning or in evening. Noon is hot unless its winter. Be ready for couple of miles walk around the complex.
• Raneh Waterfalls and Pandav Cave are nearby attractions that one may cover. Hotels are aplenty and affordable. There is an airport also under construction.

Khajuraho happened to us so quickly that we were neither ready with appropriate duration nor with a camera fitting for the occasion. One fine morning we were just there. We reached this legendary temple city by train one morning. Hotels are in abundance near main temple complex. We settled in Ramada Khajuraho and freshened up quickly. Plan was to have a brunch near main temple and then start off.

Poses, Khajuraho

Hampi

• Be ready for long walks. Major attractions are afar and massively spread in themselves. Then there are small treks to Anjanaya Temple or the magnificent Hemkuta Hills adjacent to Virupaksha Temple.
• Avoid summers. Even in cooler climate, you will need a vehicle to take you around the dusty city. There are restaurants near Virupaksha Temple that may offer your kind of food.
• Sunset at Hemkuta, lunch at one of the river bank restaurants and a photograph with the golden chariot at Vishnu Temple - these are a must.

Trip: Bangalore > Chitradurga > Hampi > Bangalore

Hampi offers such bizarre backgrounds in such quantity that it can easily be declared a photographer's haven.  From flowing river to ruined city,  from ancient temples to high hills it has everything a remarkable photoshoot demands.WereachedHyatt Hampi from Chitradurga by taking a diversion from Kudligi. This proved to be a big mistake as the 35 miles stretch can hardly be called a road. By the time we checked in we were good for nothing. Hungry and tired, we settled at the restaurant and ate a mouthful.

Virupaksha Temple @ Hampi

Kanchipuram

Tiruvannamalai - Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram was a bonus and a surprise on our way to Mahabalipuram.  We decided to cover it on our way back. It was a decision I rue since the architectural richness of this city begs for more than a day to spare - not to forget the market of famous silk sarees which has developed its own brand.

Sri Ekambereswarar Temple @ Kanchipuram

Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)

Tiruvannamalai - Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram

• Mahabalipuram is small but still there is enough walk needed. Be ready for that. Main section is Panch Rathas (Five Chariots) around which the most famous monuments are carved.
• Pandava's Penance and carved pillars are most impressive art work here. Climb to the top of the lighthouse and have a top view of this city of ruins.
• Beach is one made for surfing, such are the waves. Stay at one of the beach resorts to completely enjoy the city including the sunrise and sunset.

Mahabalipuram offers an interesting combination - archeological monuments beside a beach. Hence on a bright Saturday morning we were on  Bangalore - Kanyakumari highway. The road has one of the most picturesque settings in south India.

Carved pillars @ Five Rathas Temple

Murudeshwara

Jog Falls - Gokarna - Murudeshwara

We checked out of our Gokarna Hotel at 10 and started for Murudeshwara. We had to change at Kumta but given the frequency of buses, we were able to get them back to back and were staring at the massive complex before 1.

Murudeshwara temple complex

Om Beach, Gokarna

Jog Falls - Gokarna - Murudeshwara

• The landlocked Om beach is the place to stay in Gokarna. Two more beaches are adjacent although less fun - Kudle beach & Gokarna main beach.
• Namaste Cafe is famous for seafood and fresh juices although everything else is equally tasty. The place even has few rooms for stay although you need to book in advaance.
• Murudeshwara and Jog Falls are a day trip from here. Both can be covered if one starts early. Mudureshwara holds the largest Mahadev statue while Jog is the tallest waterfall in India.

The bright morning sun was blazing in front of us when we reached Namaste Cafe Hotel in Gokarna. Earlier we had booked SRS Travels Sleeper bus from Bangalore and the journey was not disappointing. Namaste Cafe is located right on the Om beach but to reach here either you have to trek 3 miles or pay 150 bucks to the autowala.

Gokarna Main Beach

Srirangapatna

Trip: Bangalore > Ramnagaram > Srirangapatna >  Mysore >  Bandipur >  Mudumalai >  Ooty >  Coonoor >  Bangalore

Srirangapatna is a small diversion on Bangalore-Mysore highway and so we took it on our way out from Mysore. The geography of this fort city hints why Tipu Sultan moved his capital here. It is a natural island created by forking of river Kauveri.

3 Points @ Srirangapatna Tourist Map