Hyderabad to Gandikota road trip

[Sridhar Tandra]

Hola All,

 

I have driven down to Gandikota on November 3/4 2018 weekend and covered below circuit which is usually not done by all.

 

Gandikota is always paired up with Orvakal / Belum Caves / Ahobilam / Mahanandi by most of us.

 

However, we do not want to do Ahobilam / Mahanandi to avoid rush in our 2 day (Sat / Sun) schedule and hence decided to stick to the same route that we have taken while going to Gandikota and covered a couple of major temples when returning and happily reached Hyderabad back by 615pm on Sunday.

 

So, here it goes without wasting any more time.

 

Day 1, Saturday (November 03, 2018) 5am: Start Point, Gachibowli ORR

 

Plan was to start by 4am and as usual we had starting problems with crew not able to get up after Friday evening parties! We have reached Jammalamadugu (Location of our Night halt for the day) by 130pm with very leisure drive down with multiple pit stops (Including Jogulamba Alampur Temple & Darshan) for clicking pictures.

 

We checked in to our hotel (Sri Ashwath Narayana Lodge, Near Fire Station, Jamalamadugu) and I dozed off for a quick nap since I was driving alone while crew explored a nearest restaurant, had lunch and bought me something to eat.

 

We headed towards Gandikota at 330pm sharp to ensure we do not miss Sunset and were there at the Grand Canyon until 730pm.

I will let pictures speak the rest for Day 1.

 

First Pit Stop for Tea & to capture Surya ji rise! IDPL Toll gate

Shot on OnePlus5. No Filters.

All the below pics from here are shot on Nikon Coolpix P510 & OP5 together

 

Some more pics shot on Nikon enroute Jogulamba!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the evergreen NAM with always awesome Tia baby!!

 

 

Trying to click few snaps for ID and got caught by crew!!   

 

I wish Rayalaseema remain like this all the time! It was a bliss watching lush Green fields all along.

 

 

My Love posing ❤️ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First glimpse of Grand Canyon from the Shiva Temple!

 

 

 

And the much awaited Sunset for the day

 

 

 

Crew got a little creative!  

 

 

We did not want to stop clicking post Sunset too and it goes on!

 

 

 

 

End of Day 1 at Gandikota and we proceed to our stay and dozed off after a couple of Drinks (after all it was a long day we had).

 

Day 2:

Jammalamadugu - Banaganapalle (Not going to forget Breakfast at Krishna Reddy Tiffins, Banaganapalle. Unforgetabe breakfast it was) - Yaganti - B. Palle - Nandavaram (Choudeshwari Temple) - B. Palle - Betamcherla - Kurnool - Hyderabad

 

We started little late than scheduled again at 630am and reached Hyderabad (Shamshabad ORR Entry) by 610pm. Pictures speak rest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Akhanda Deepam will be lit on top of the hill that you see below and it is said to remain against wind and light rains until next day morning spreading light and peace to the whole world from this peak!

 

Only 1 priest who conduct pooja at Shiva temple in Yaganti will climb this peak manually to lit this Deepam, he has been doing it since last 20 years! It is said that this Deepam uses about 3 liters of Sesame Oil and priest will carry it along with him.

 

Wonder here is there is no path / stairs or anything that will take you to the peak. Priest will Crawl all over to this peak to perform rituals. ? ?

 

[Sridhar Tandra]

Day 2 Continued

 

Nandavaram Choudeshwari Temple:

 

End of Trip as always, Sad but the fact!

 

 

[Naveen1]

Highway pictures are awesome man.
How is the crowd in Gandikota?high/low

[Gowtham]

19 hours ago, Sridhar Tandra said:

I have driven down to Gandikota

 

Fantastic report Sridhar.

Deserves a separate topic.

Moving it. 

[Sridhar Tandra]

13 hours ago, driveking said:

Highway pictures are awesome man

Thanks Buddy! @driveking

 

13 hours ago, driveking said:

How is the crowd in Gandikota?high/low

I would say it was average when we have gone there at about 4pm but then it started getting high by about 530pm. By ten we clicked enough number of pictures!

 

14 minutes ago, Ranger said:

Fantastic report Sridhar

Thanks @Ranger

[Naveen1]

Any idea where exactly they are providing camping area?
I heard it is expensive.
Want to know if it has view.

[uday]

thank you for sharing the information. 

Overall road condition from Hyderabad to Gandikota?

Can we start in the afternoon and reach the place by evening? 
 

[Sridhar Tandra]

1 minute ago, driveking said:

Any idea where exactly they are providing camping area?

No idea @driveking we did not get time to gather information on Camping this time, but then when we were returning and stopped at a road side shop for coffee after Gandikota visit at about 730 pm. Couple of guys came and asked if we would like to camp. There was a big group of RE riders came in to the place, maybe they were camping. But I am sure it must be conducted by the Haritha guys there. You may get some information if you check with them!

[uday]

Just now, Sridhar Tandra said:

we did not get time to gather information on Camping this time

 

I thought they are providing tents near the view point.

[Sridhar Tandra]

1 minute ago, uday said:

thank you for sharing the information

Anytime @uday

 

1 minute ago, uday said:

Overall road condition from Hyderabad to Gandikota?

Fantastic until Orvakal (Hyderabad - Kurnool is Bangalore highway and then Kurnool to Orvakal is NAM), Once you turn right towards Betamcherla roads are good with few speed bumps, a little ghat section and then pass through villages. You can always maintain about 80kmph without issues except for when you are crossing villages, be cautious.

 

Nothing to worry / alarming on this stretch. avoid starting in the afternoon and prefer starting in the early morning to avoid driving on this Betamcherla ghat section late in the evening.

4 minutes ago, uday said:

Can we start in the afternoon and reach the place by evening? 

Can can, but please avoid starting in the noon.

[Sridhar Tandra]

2 minutes ago, uday said:

I thought they are providing tents near the view point

I am unsure of the camping location buddy! will get this information when I go there next time for sure!

[sagar]

Lovely report @Sridhar Tandra, You  have covered quite a few new places in this drive.. Thanks for sharing the report  

 

3 hours ago, uday said:

 

I thought they are providing tents near the view point.

 

Tents are being provided not by the Haritha resort guys but by some private vendors .. There are quite a few of them who provide this facility of camping here.

[Gowtham]

1 hour ago, sagar said:

not by the Haritha resort

 

I heard it is being handled by Haritha.

Any idea if the camping options provided by other vendors are legal? 

[Sridhar Tandra]

13 minutes ago, Ranger said:

I heard it is being handled by Haritha

This is what I came to know too, in spite of being private vendors all these guys are under command of Haritha, Gandikota. May be they have this internal links with each other depending on accommodation availability in Haritha and then direct rest of the folks to these guys. But first priority will be Haritha always, King of the Hill.

[Sridhar Tandra]

1 hour ago, sagar said:

Lovely report @Sridhar Tandra, You  have covered quite a few new places in this drive.. Thanks for sharing the report  

Thanks @sagar

[ksa171983]

excellent report @Sridhar Tandracovers many points and detailed stuff..

 

[Sridhar Tandra]

8 minutes ago, Ranger said:

I heard it is being handled by Haritha

This is what I heard too! 

[Sridhar Tandra]

2 hours ago, ksa171983 said:

excellent report @Sridhar Tandracovers many points and detailed stuff..

 

Thanks Shiva

[mayank]

Awesome report @Sridhar Tandra. That fort like palace in your pictures reminds me of a place that I've seen somewhere earlier. Looks very familiar. Can you please share the Name and location of this site?

[Sridhar Tandra]

4 minutes ago, mayank said:

Name and location of this site?

Hi @mayank It is Gandikota Fort, Gandikota buddy

[mayank]

15 minutes ago, Sridhar Tandra said:

Hi @mayank It is Gandikota Fort, Gandikota buddy

 

Not the Gandikota pic @Sridhar Tandra.. I have been to Gandikota earlier.. 

I was talking about the pic which you have shared after mentioning the Day 2 continuation .. Looks like a stone palace.

 

[Sridhar Tandra]

10 minutes ago, mayank said:

Looks like a stone palace

Yaganti Temple it is

[mayank]

5 minutes ago, Sridhar Tandra said:

Yaganti Temple it is

 

Got it after a of digging into my brains.. It was seen in one of the very few telugu movies i have watched.. Arundati.. Googled it and it's Banganapalli fort  

[Gowtham]

On 11/13/2018 at 9:47 PM, Sridhar Tandra said:

Yaganti Temple it is

 

How is the route to Yaganti temple? 

 

I heard there are two routes, once we cross Kurnool. 

One route is very scenic and bad.

Other route is average. 

[sagar]

3 hours ago, Ranger said:

 

How is the route to Yaganti temple? 

 

 

One route is via Betamcherla and another is via Dhone.. I think the route via Betamcherla is more preferable..

[Sridhar Tandra]

On 11/20/2018 at 1:47 PM, sagar said:

One route is via Betamcherla and another is via Dhone.. I think the route via Betamcherla is more preferable

Exactly! Taking Orvakal - Betamcherla - Banaganapalle - Yaganti is better than going all the way down until Dhone and coming back to Yaganti via Pedda Malkapuram