....................to the Banks of Godari Ganga

Hmm, come summer, come mangoes!

                             Early on Tuesday morning, we headed for Bhadrachalam. We reached Vijayawada to pick up Uncle’s elder brother who was eager to have the blessings of Lord Rama. On his suggestion of a ‘shorter route’, we got stuck on narrow village roads for nearly an hour and a half, but I got the chance of clicking a tree full of tender mangoes and a flock of sheep.  I also saw a standing crop of corn- I just loved it, even if our ‘Driver Mama’ got annoyed.

The flock of sheep that excited me but annoyed my uncle

                To reach Bhadrachalam, we crossed the Godavari bridge beyond which we spotted the temple tower. Excitedly I began to sing, “Adigo Bhadradri, Gouthami Idigo Choodandi” (Yonder, we can see the  Bhadradri and here, we can see the Godavari).

.....to the Depths of Patala Ganga .........

Now I'm back to my travelogue- the second of the April 2009 triology.

The first view of Patala Ganga a. k. a River Krishna in Srisailam,        
Andhra Pradesh

Shortly after our return from Tirumala, I had a routine conversation with an aunt of mine, during which she tried to ensure my presence in Guntur for the forthcoming weekend. Finding me not too interested in a two- day trip, she offered to take me around a lot of places, including Hamsala Deevi (literally translated as ‘the Isle of the Swans’), where the River Krishna joined the sea. In normal circumstances, I would have jumped at the offer but the summer heat still made me uninterested. My unrelenting aunt thought of something BIG- she told me that we could visit two temple towns if I were to take leave for a couple of days and suffix it with a holiday on Wednesday.