Lepakshi Temple

- The Enthralling Murals

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from part II.

 All over the ceiling in the dancing hall are colorful murals depicting various stories from mythology.  Just walking around with head tilted upwards to see these paintings was a challenge enough. So how did the artisans of the bygone eras manage to achieve such incredible perfectionism in their ceiling paintings? 

Also considering that their paints were entirely made of natural substances and have managed to survive almost five centuries, makes one wonder about the modern-day paints. It might be really interesting to paint our houses with veggies, fruits and leaves. 

Ganesha And Ravana

Lepakshi Temple

- The Dancing Hall

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from Part I here.

Climbing up a few steps from the entrance, we reached the dancing hall.  Interesting carvings beckoned us, but after we learnt the story behind each carving we were more than enamored.   

The center hall is beautifully spacious with a tall ceiling. The ceiling is designed like a lotus with around 100 petals distributed in 4 whorls.

The Ceiling In The Dancing Hall

Lepakshi Temple

- History And Significance

By Tharangini

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We were supposed to meet just for a pizza. Then we decided to maybe just go for a long drive and have pizza on the way back. After a breakfast of crisp, hot masala dosas and some piping hot coffee at the Bangalore Cafe, we set off. 

We had no idea where we were going, so we decided to go near Nandi hills and explore some more places nearby. Just as we were nearing the toll, one of my friends brought up this brilliant idea of going to the Lepakshi temple. So we topped on the first breakfast with a second breakfast at 'Nandi Upachaar' at the junction of Nandi Hills and we were on the way to Lepakshi temple in the town of Lepakshi along the Karnataka-Andhra border. 

Jatayu In Jatayu Theme Park

Bhutan

- The Mighty And Magical Journey Across Eastern Himalayas

By Meera

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As we drove down from Bagdogra in India to Phuentsholing, the gateway to Bhutan, crossing Siliguri, Darjeeling and the eastern periphery of West Bengal - dusty plains followed by terraced fields in the bordering district, the journey did not seem laborious or difficult.  On the way, we passed through the beginning of the eastern Himalayas while it was a pleasure to watch the meandering Teesta River, the Dooars forest and innumerable tea estates.