Temples in Andhra Pradesh are just perfect to find serenity...

Everyone has his own believes and desires. Sometimes, in order to achieve utmost tranquillity, we don’t mind visiting the far most spiritual places and sometimes, the state of calmness come naturally to us by just watching an innocent smile of a child. For instance, I find my peace of mind by visiting all those places which are closer to nature like waterfalls, green mountains, virgin valleys, calm beaches and ancient temples. From last few months, I was not able to take time out for myself and with every passing day, I was becoming crankier. So, I decided to take a few days off myself and gave a visit to my maternal aunt who lives in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. I remember when I was a kid, my aunt told me that this place - Kurnool was used to be a state capital of Andhra and today, people come here just to visit the famous temples of Andhra Pradesh like Sri Yagantiswamy Temple in Banagapalle mandal, Kurnool.

Temples in Andhra Pradesh

I started my journey with Sri Yagantiswamy Temple, the famous Lord Shiva Temple in Kurnool. The main feature of this temple is its Pushkarini (a small pond inside the premises of the temple). The amazing fact about this holy pond is that no one really knows how the water flows out from the bottom of hill to Pushkarini in all the seasons the whole year and moreover, the water of this pond never dries out. Few also believe that the stone Nandiswara (Basavanna) is constantly increasing in its size. Legend has it that once saint Agasthya came here and took bath in the Agasthya Pushkarini. The water of this Pushkarini is sweet in taste as it is directly coming from the hills. I also visited Veera Brahmam Caves, Venkteshwara Caves, Agasya Caves.

Next, I decided to visit two other most famous temples of Andhra Pradesh Ahobilam and Mahanandi, which were just a few kilometres away from Kurnool (about 70 kms). Apart from these two temples, I got to know about Ista Kameswari temple in Srisailam, another most famous Shiva Temple situated inside forest of Srisailam. This Shiva temple is only accessed by a few ways: firstly through commander jeep, secondly by Srisailam dam and last way to reach this temple is through rope way to patalaganga.

I decided to visit Ista Kameswari temple in Srisailam by rope way to patalaganga and get a chance to adore the scenic beauty of Krishna River having Nallamala forests on both sides of its river bed. Since, I love eco tourism and this trip was not less than that after getting a view of Nallamala forest. After all, how can one miss the chance of reconnecting with nature?

Get lured by Golden Beaches of Andhra Pradesh...

I was very much aware that Andhra Pradesh is also known as “Rice Bowl of India”, but a few days back I came to know about it’s another describing name i.e. “land of golden beaches”. I have heard this many times before, that if you want to enjoy the beach parties then go to Goa but if you just want to get away from the hustle-bustle of daily life of big cities and just want to relax by rolling in the sea sand; then Beaches in Andhra Pradesh is a perfect place for you.

If you are an avid traveller and travelling for you is like breathing, then this gracious state of India can offer you much more than your expectations. This state is blessed with nature’s beautiful landscapes like the scenic Araku Valley, dense forests along golden beaches. Anyone who loves eco-tourism will definitely enjoy his/her visit to the land of graciousness.
Last month, when I decided to explore Andhra Pradesh, I never thought that this excursion to Andhra Pradesh would become the most memorable trip of my life. Being a nature lover, I decided to go to the most popular hill station of Andhra Pradesh - Araku Valley in Ananathagiri Hills. Araku Valley showcases the most mesmerizing panoramic view of dense forests situated at both sides of valley having small streams generated from the natural waterfalls. Lush green valleys and picturesque gardens around this valley make it more adorable. 

Beaches in Andhra Pradesh

  
On the other hand, there was a long list of golden beaches in Andhra Pradesh to start with. It took me a little longer, but finally I decided to visit Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam. This beautiful beach is a part of East Coast of India, commonly known as RK beach. Although the beach in itself is enough to spend a whole day rolling out in beach sand but one can also visit other tourist attractions situated near RK beach such as War Memorial, Submarine Museum, Aquarium, Visakha and statues of famous personalities.

Second beach on my list was Bheemunipatnam Beach. This beach is just 25 km away from Visakhapatnam (Vizag) and is locally known as Bhimli Beach. This beach is considered as the safest beach for surfing.
From the beginning, when I started exploring beaches in Andhra Pradesh, I knew that I would not be able to visit all the beaches but on the same time I had never thought that I would get a chance to even explore some beaches. Well, I was running out of the time and have to decide the last beach from the long list. So, I decided to visit Rishikonda Beach which is about 10 km away from Visakhapatnam and is very famous for its water sports activities like water skiing and wind surfing.

Visiting Rishikonda Beach turned out to be a good choice and as planned I returned to Delhi on the next day with many memorable moments. 

There is much more to explore in Andhra Pradesh, beyond Charminar, Golconda & Hussain Sagar...

Being an avid Indian Traveller, we always look for that tourist destination where our whole family can relate themselves easily. Today, I am just going to tell you about one such destination: Andhra Pradesh.

The moment I said Andhra Pradesh, you might start thinking about its famous land mark monument i.e. about Charminar, but, as I mentioned earlier there is a lot more to explore in Andhra Pradesh (AP).

Andhra pradesh Tourism

What we know about AP?

The Charminar (the famous Islamic Mosque) is as much the signature architecture marvel of Hyderabad (capital city of AP) as is the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Everyone is aware of the fact that Kohinoor was found in India but a very few people know that it was found in Golconda Fort during the Qutub Shahi dynasty rule (1518 to 1687). And no one can miss out the Hussain Sagar, a manmade lake having the world's tallest monolithic statues of Buddha in the middle. Last but not the least, Andhra offers equal spiritual vicinity in itself. AP showcases one of the most beautiful temples and mosques such as Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Birla Mandir, Hyderabad, Mecca Masjid (Makkah Masjid) is one of the oldest mosques in Hyderabad, Simhardri or Simhachalam (Hindu Temple), Chilkur Balaji Temple (Visa Balaji Temple) and Kanaka Durga Temple is another famous Hindu Temple of Goddess Kanaka Durga.

Now you must be wondering that I have concluded every aspect of Andhra in this small write-up, but you are wrong at this point. I haven’t mentioned a single word about the two most exotic features of Andhra Pradesh that are its ‘hill stations’ and ‘beaches in Andhra Pradesh’.

It is also true that beaches in AP do not host parties like GOA neither have five-star properties like KERALA. But the one thing which you will surely find at the Andhra’s beaches is their simplicity in relishing the beauty of pristine and uninterrupted coastline.

Now, if you wish to go an ultra quiet beach to spend some quality time with your loved ones, then Yarada Beach is tailor-made just for you. It is a beach having golden sand, surrounded by hills on three sides and the lapping waters of the Bay of Bengal on the fourth. Nearby this sea shore, there is a Dolphin’s Nose Lighthouse situated at the top of Black Mores Hill. Its powerful white beacon can be easily seen from the distance of 65km.

Just like Yarada Beach, there are several other beaches to explore such as Mypad Beach, Ramakrishna Beach, Bheemunipatnam Beach and the last one is Rishikonda Beach.
In the end, I’ll say that you will arrive here armed with lists of hotels, restaurants, bars, stores and spas to visit, as well as wallets stuffed with cash, but you will return with stories, cheerful memories, big smiles and empty pockets.