Some Random Shots

Thought I would share some ramdom shots i took from moving vehicle on my journey to Amaravathi and Mangalagiri.

Love

R

Undavalli Caves - The rock-cut temple

I have been to Amaravathi last week with my husband and in-laws and it was one beautiful journey. On our way, we found these breath-taking scenaries and the rock caves, which first seemed to be nothing more than an abandoned fort stinking of bats. The moment we entered, it seemed more than what it looked like at the first glance.That gave a good start to our journey.

These caves are a few kilometres from Vijayawada, sorry for not paying attention to the distance as these caves totally took us by surprise when we stumbled upon them while we were passing by.These caves look like a 3-storied fort which is at a height from the road level.

Locals ( Indians ) would be charged an amount of 5 rupees per person for the entry while any foreigner would be charged 100 rupees and 25 rupees more for taking videos both for locals and foreigners. This video fees though was not charged by the lone caretaker there. Part of the sad state of affairs of our tourism and archaeology departments.

As we entered the caves, there was nothing in the ground floor and we found few idols of goddesses in the first floor, which at first glance didnt look like goddesses as the rock carvings were kind of faded. We couldn't make out that this cave belonged to Lord Vishnu until we entered the second floor. There was this huge rock carved idol of Lord Vishnu, lying, as he is usually pictured.

There was this statue of a Swamy ( priest ) next to the Lord. There were beautiful carvings of Gods and Goddesses on the walls of the caves. There is lawn in fornt of the caves but what caught my attention was the view from the top of the caves. Only one thing was going on in my mind when I was in the caves and the panorama, " Lara Croft - The Tomb Raider ". The carvings of lion and elephant statues reminded me of the caves in the movie.

It is a must see tourist spot. I would advise going there in winter and also in the mornings at 8 or so. It is better if you go by a car or a private vehicle, since you can stop by whenever and whereever you want as there are many fields in between and you can buy fruits and vegetables directly form the farmers there. We saw a bus, numbered 301, which commutes between Vijayawada and Amaravathi but it didnt stop at the caves. There is this person, Yadayya, who takes care of the caves and he shall give you a guided tour of the caves.

Also we were told that there was a 9km long tunnel from these caves to Mangalagiri which was closed by the government for security reasons.So much for the jet start.

Love

R

Stung by Creative Bee

I am a shopaholic, though i buy only if there is any reason to buy (like festivals, any occasion at home etc...). However, i go for window shopping and keep the things in mind and buy it when i feel or may be at that instance if that impresses me more than my need (remember, i am very tight-fisted lady).I have been to this shop CREATIVE BEE.However, it was a very casual visit. I had no intention to buy anything. The fabric was really elegant. I was very much impressed. They used only natural fabrics (which was my first reason to get impressed). They used jute, cotton, silk etc. They even had the accessories displayed in their shop. The dupattas were impressive. However, i was not impressed by the sarees they had. They even had their shop extended to the first floor where they had the ready-to-wear garments displayed. I found the first floor stuff a bit expensive. Certainly, there is some variety in the ready-to-wear section. The creative bee really stung me. :) . I have bought a jute dress material with a matching silk dupatta next time when i visited to shop. This dress seems to be my favorite dress ever.

The shop is in Banjara Hills(near to road no :1). It is beside Srishti bath shoppe. The rates are quiet okay. Not that expensive i would say. The best part of this place is you can shop peacefully unlike the other shops in hyderabad.As the people visiting these shops is less,the shop keepers can concentrate more on us and we can be able to see a wide variety and chose them peacefully. The fabric CB sells may look very simple but it is certainly veru elegant .You can even get some embroidery work done if you find it very simple.

Happy Shopping Everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love

T

To Dear Friend - R

I remember even now when i was 9 years old my parents changed my school.I was little bit scared as a child and little bit shy as i have joined a bigger school compared to my old school.One girl(I know her but she was not my friend then) held my hand and took me to her section(Class) and made me to sit with her.She just embraced me in her wings and i felt the warmth.That was the beginning of our friendship,still continuing and will continue.I always turned to her during my gloomy days.I can say she is my personal adviser.We danced in many of our school day functions together.She was my choreographer.We enjoyed every new year at their home.After schooling we are separated by our subjects we took in our 11th and 12th.She always wrote letters to me during our college days explaining about the environment and friends she had there.Years passed but our friendship never faded.Got married and we are very much busy with our lives.Though we live far away from each other,though we meet rarely,we keep track of each other.We never bossed each others life.We had that space.I still remember each and every page of my life linked with her.I totally enjoyed my days.I am truly blessed to have a friend like her.It is surprising to say that we both think alike.Today is her 2nd marriage anniversary. I wish her all the happiness and all the success in the future.This post is dedicated to you.God Bless you.

Love

T

Pachchi pulusu

With Summer at doorstep, i thought its time to post some good recipes to beat the heat.Here comes one such recipe which is easy to make and it cools you of so well. Also, it is full of electrolytes.Want to know how? Check out the recipe.

You need :

For Pulusu :

• Tamarind pulp : one teaspoon
• Onions : 2 medium size, finely chopped
• Green chillies : 2 long ones, finely chopped
• Curry leaves : 7
• Coriander : finely chopped, for garnishing
• Turmeric : halt teaspoon
• Salt : to taste
• Sugar : one teaspoon ( u can add more if u prefer it sweet )

For seasoning :

• Cumin seeds ( Jeera ) : half teaspoon
• Mustard seeds ( Rai ) : half teaspoon
• Asafoetida ( Hing ) : hakf teaspoon
• Red chillies : 2 broken into half

Procedure :

• Mix the pulp in water and bring it to the consistency of liquid and add turmeric, salt, sugar, chopped onions and green chillies and curry leaves and mix the whole thing squeezing it with your hand.
• Now add the seasoning of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies in oil and granish the pulusu ( liquid ) with coriander.

Your pachchi pulusu is ready. It is Andhra special.The onions are natural coolers. Also, tamarind, sugar and salt act as electrolytes. These will replace the salts lost through sweat from your body.

Hope you guys will like it.

Love

R

Rasam Wada

I saw this recipe in tv made by Sanjeev Kapoor. I tried it and it turned out good. Hope you guys like it.

You will need :

For Wada :

• Urad dal : 2 cups ( how much ever you want )
• Ginger : ( 1" piece ) finely chopped
• Green chillies : ( 2 ) finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying the wadas

For Rasam :

• Tomatoes : 2-4, each cut into four pieces
• Toor dal : half cup, cooked
• Tamarind pulp : about half teaspoon
• Rasam powder : 1-2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves : 5
• Coriander : finely chopped ( for garnishing )

For seasoning in Rasam :

• Asafoetida : a pinch
• Jeera ( cumin seeds ) : half teaspoon
• Mustard seeds : half teaspoon
• Red chillies : 2-3

This is how you make it :

For Wada :

• Soak Urad dal for about 3-4 hours and grind into a thick batter.
• Add salt, chopped ginger, chopped green chillies and mix well.
• Heat oil in a wok or kadai and put the batter in the form of small balls or any shape you want.Keep the wadas aside.

For Rasam :

• Boil the cut tomatoes and grind them into a paste after the tomatoes cool. Then add tamarind pulp, cooked toor dal, rasam powder, salt, chopped coriander and curry leaves and some water and let the whole mixture boil till the smell comes out.
• Heat oil and add the ingredients of seasoning and add it to the boiling rasam and let the rasam boil for some more time.
• Thats it your rasam is ready and now add wadas and serve hot.

Have a yummyyyyyyyyyyyyy time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R

Mouth Ulcers - remedy

It has been quite some time since i posted anything on Grandma's corner.So i guess its time i told you guys something about the mouth ulcers and its remedy.

I'm not an expert in this field.The information i'm going to give is based purely on experience and lessons learnt from elders. My husband had this problem before and he was a frequent victim to this problem and my MIL ( mother-in-law ) came up with this solution.

Mouth ulcers are usually caused because of excess heat in the body.So you need to basically cool your body and drive away the excess heat. My MIL would finely chop the onions and fry them in oil and once they turn golden brown, she would add salt and red chilly powder to it and give it with rice to eat.

I have also tried this couple of times when i had mouth ulcers and it did wonders.Although, i would also suggest drinking butter milk or eating mint leaves ( cooked form- any recipes made from mint ) which are also potential body coolers.Hope this tip is of some use to you guys. Stay cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love

R

Radish/Mullangi/Mooli Paratha

I have tried my hand on Radish (mullangi in telugu) which is a root plant.
I have chosen to make a paratha with this root plant.

What you will need is :

1.Radish medium size. - 2 in number
2.Hand full of Besan(Senaga Pindi).
3.Coriander leaves for flavour.
4.Salt to taste.
5.Dhaniya powder.
6.Small amount of jeera.
7.One spoon curd.
8.Green chillies.
9.Olive oil.
10.Few drops of lemon.
11.Spoon of curd.
12.Wheat Flour.

This is how you make it:

Step 1:

Wash and grate radish.Add little salt to it.Keep it aside for 5minutes.
Squeze it and drain the water.














Step 2:

Fry besan in a kadai or a wok

Step 3:

Heat olive oil in a pan add jeera and coriander powder,next sliced green chillies
next add squeezed radish.Fry it until it gets dried up.
Fry it on low flame.

Step 4:

Add fried besan,2 spoons curd and few lemon drops and salt to
the fried radish.

Step 5:

Mix this with wheat flour and make soft dough.

Step 6:

Make small balls and flat them as you make rotis.

Step 7:

Fry it on a heated pan on bothsides with little bit of ghee or oil a

ccording to your taste.

Step 8:

Serve it hot with achar(Pacchadi/Chutny) or with Curd.

BhimaShankar - the beautiful ghat pilgrimage

One more jyothirlinga is added to the list of spiritual destinations.I have been to Bhima Shankar ( Maharashtra, India) last week.It is located in the end of sahayadri hills,in the dakini forests.I heard that river bhima is originated at this place.Journey to this place is an awesome experience.It took three and half hours ( 128km approx ) from pune.Our Vehicle maneuvered through slim streets of many small villages with people pouring onto the streets during the day,dark and abandoned at night, wondering how come electricity could not reach them.The people here seemed to be living in medieval time yet happy and leading a serene life unlike ours.We have passed through dense forests of dakini,naked mountains, a river and ghat road to reach Bhimashankar.If your are adventurous,you can trek as we passed through many people with their bags and ready to trek..People poured in as it was a long weekend.It took us nearly 3 hours to cross the line and reach the deity.I took the picture from where i was standing in the line.So you can guess how long the line was.I would want to apologize for the bad picture.I promise to get better and more pictures the next time i visit the temple again.Favorable time to visit is from January to march (better during weekdays)as the chill in the air gets reduced.Please don't visit during rainy season as the rains are heavy in this region of india,summers are fine provided you should be able to travel in the hot and take the heat.

Standing in the queue was one experience,seeing the deity and touching the Shiva linga was another.We tend to forget everything when we see the god.The Shiva linga was decorated with a human face.I was wondering how come Lord Shiva chose this place where we people felt difficult to commute even by a four wheeler.Unlike other piligrimage,tourism seems to be untouched,no proper hotels to stay no proper resturants to eat.However i saw one resort on the way to bhima shankar.As we were prepared to withstand hours long queue we could not resist from having freshly made doodh pedha (made from milk) directly from kadai into our mouth. After Darshan I was a bit scared as it was dark and there are no street lights on the ghat and vehicles come in both directions unlike tirupati.The convoy of car light provided the way to each other to pass the ghat and reach safely.Totally the experience was awesome.

For more details I have browsed through and found this site to be informative.
http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/sp/spjyoti_bimsankar.htm

Love

T