It was two years since we had a family vacation and a vacation plan in this month was a much needed relief to wind off this hectic year.A week long brainstorming resulted in many tourist destinations of interest.Goa,kerala and even Andamans made a grand entry into our list.But this time we wanted an offbeat trip that would take us into a mesmerising ancient world .We zeroed in on places that were not on the regular tourist map and to give them ample time we decided about places in Andhra Pradesh itself.Yaganti and Ahobilam were our chosen destinations.Having heard from friends about its beauty,we also decided to visit the Golden Laxmi Temple in Siripuram in Vellore.Before setting out on this journey,little did we know that we would return with a beautiful panaroma of memories captured on the lenses of our heart.On a beautiful friday we set out on our journey throbbing with excitement.The beautiful sights of the paddy fields dotting the highway,the occassional flock of sheep crossing the roads,farmers ploughing their fields made us forget the tiresome journey.What caught my eye was a seemingly unending stretch of sunflower fields with the sunflowers tilting beautifully to the side of the sun. The awesome stretch of yellow reminded me of William Wordsworth's Daffodils and I hummed to myself-
"with pleasure my heart fills...
and dances with the daffodils"...though I was looking at the sunflowers.
Travelling thus we reached Yaganti at noon.This place is famous for its Shiva temple and a gigantic monolith Nandi,which legend says,is growing and will come to life at the end of Kaliyuga.
There are huge hills around the temple and in them are spectacular caves that take your breath away.You realise that there is no architect greater than God when you see the magnificience of these caves.The natural caves at Yaganti such as Rokalla cave, Venkateswara cave, Sanka cave, and Veera Brahmam caves add beauty and serenity to this holy place.It is believed that the renowned soothsayer Sri Potuluri Veerabrahmendra Swami had written his monumental work, the Kalagnanam in this cave only. The experience here can only be felt rather than expressed.The sound of many parrots chirping around the temple adds its own special touch to this serene place.Another interesting thing here is the Akasha Deepam that is lighted everyday on a steep hill cliff by a saint living here.The height at which the lamp is placed astonishes you and will make you wonder how a man can reach and light a lamp at that height.There is a beautiful pond in the temple called Agastya Pushkarini.The water into this pond comes perennially from a Nandi's mouth.
After lunch we proceeded to ahobilam from here.Ahobilam is a major piligrimage centre in Andhra Pradesh.It is believed that Lord Vishnu in his Narasimha avatar saved his devotee Prahlad by killing the demon king,Hiranyakaship.This place has nine temples dedicated to Lord Narasimha in his different avatars and the interesting aspect is that many of these temples are in natural caves.Trekking through the hills and forests is the only way to reach many of these temples.The trekking route is dotted with picturesteque rock formations and beautiful waterfalls.The gushing water from these falls rejunevates the body and mind.We could never believe that such a beautiful location with lush green surroundings was resting in the lap of nature tucked away from the hustle bustle of today's life in our very own state.This place is a must see for all nature lovers and improving a few facilities here would make it a tourist heaven.
We resumed our travel to Vellore at noon.On the way we were welcomed by a magnificient sight.Two gigantic statues of Lord Krishna and Lord Hanuman at a temple in a place we didnt know but still we stopped and gazed in awe at the brilliance of the sculptures.We reached vellore in the evening.The next morning we proceeded to the famous Golden temple of Goddess Narayani at Sripuram.The temple exudes a golden aura at night that can be seen from miles away.It indeed is an epitome of modern architectural magnificience and deserves all the glory for its impeccable design and maintanance.
After the ancient brilliance of Yaganti,being in nature's lap at Ahobilam and admiring a modern architectural wonder at Sripuram we travelled to Tirumala to have a darshan of the Lord of seven hills.We walked from Alipiri to Tirumala for the first time.Though the trek was tiring,it was indeed an experience we cherished and enjoyed when we were massaging our sore feet with balm that night.On our return journey we had a short halt at Srikalahasti,the famed Shiva temple.Our visit coincided with a religious occassion called Bonalu for Goddess Ganga.The spirit and enthusiasm of this auspicious event reverberated in the air and we were surprised to see the idols of the Goddess decorated so beautifully at different corners of this town.our return journey also coincided with the Tungabhadra Puskaram.So we had a quick dip in the river before heading home.
Nothing was sufficient to capture the memories we carried home from this trip.Two digital cameras were full.Even my mobile phone's memory card was exhausted but there was one thing that treasured each and every moment of our wonderful vacation.It was our heart that tucked away all our splendid moments in it to make them treasured memories forever.Before this trip,I never knew that Andhra Pradesh could be so beautiful...but now I do and I would recommend everyone to these destinations atleast once because I am sure they will make you fall in love with them...like they did to me.
Traveller Tips:
1)Carry a map with you.It will help you navigate directions when you think you are lost.
2)You can rely on local people for directions.They know their place better than us.
3)People with problems like asthma and blood pressure should take necessary precautions while trekking.
4)Hygiene is not at its best in some areas.keep your mind off it for sometime.
