We were in Madikeri when we heard this story. A Haleri king was on a hunting expedition when he suddenly saw his wild dogs chased by a hare in a small hillock. He decided to build a fort there immediately as he felt a powerful energy vibrated from the region which made a meek hare courageous . A mud wall garrison was built there and the hamlet, which became the capital of the dynasty was named after the king. The king was Mudduraja , the dynasty was Haleri and the capital was called Muddu Raja Keri or Muddurakayray , what we today call Madikeri.

The Haleri Kings who ruled Coorg or Kodagu for over 200 years were Lingayats and their origin is traced to Veeraraja, a nephew of Sadashiva Nayaka of the Ikkeri Dynasty. . As the Vijaynagar empire crumbled, Veeraraja, who dreamt of establishing his own dynasty was looking to exploit the weakness of local kingdoms. His ambition took him to Kodagu which was then ruled by various Nayaks .

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

Disguised as a “jangama “ or a priest with healing power, he established a small group of followers in Haleri . He slowly overthrew the local Nayaks , including the formidable Karenbahu of Bhagamandala and Talacauvery and went on to become the lord of Kodugu with Haleri as capital .His grandson, Mudduraja later changed the capital to Madikeri and the dynasty ruled from the 17th century to the 19th century.

The Madikeri fort is today one of the few symbols of this powerful dynasty. It was eventually rebuilt in granite by Tippu Sultan who named the site as Jaffarabad.It was recaptured by the Haleri ruler Doddaveer Rajendra in the 18th century and it later fell into the hands of the British who renamed it as Mercara . Today the fort houses a palace, a temple, a chapel, a prison and a museum where you can see hero stones or virakkals among other things.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

We embarked on the trail of this dynasty. Further away from the city is Gaddige or the Raja’s tombs, which are the Samadhis of the kings Doddaveerarajendra and Lingarajendra. A solemn air hung around and it was deserted almost but for a few boys who were playing cricket. The tombs of the divans and army commanders were also placed here. The domes and the minarets at four corners mounted by carved bulls stand tall against the sky.

The sun was setting and a mist threatened to rob the sun of its last few moments of glory . We headed to Raja’s Seat to watch the tussle. This popular tourist spot which boasts of scenic views was the seat of the royalty to admire nature.and also throw probably to throw their enemies down the hill.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

A visit to Madikeri is never complete without a visit to the.19th century Omkareshwar temple built by Lingarajendra II dedicated to Shiva. Built in the Indo Sarcenic style, it has elements of Gothic and Islamic architecture as well and it is said that there could have been a secret passage below that leads to the palace of the king.

We drove towards Virajpet – one of the key towns and erstwhile capital named after Virarajendra, the Haleri king . It is said that Dodda Veerarajendra established the town in the 18th century to commemorate his meeting with the British General Abercrombie during their joint war against Tippu Sultan .

Virajpet which is just 30 kms from Madikeri is an important town today for coffee and spices and the St Anne’s Church and Clock tower stand tall, today reminiscent of the colonial era . The interesting aspect is that Virajpet was once an amalgamation of various communities such as Telugus,Tamilians, Malayalis, Bunts, Moplas, Christians,Brahmins and even Bengalis.Even today you can see streets like Bengali Street, Telugu street going by the cosmopolitan nature of the town that housed several communities..

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

We then went in search of a small palace where the Haleri Dyansty came to an end .Our trail ended in a small hamlet called Yavakapadi in Kakkabe where Nalknad Aramane built by Dodda Veerarajendra in the 18th century awaited us .

There were coffee plantations all around. A small mud road appeared out of no where .A beautiful two storey structure painted in red with a tiled roof, old wall paintings and pillars gazed at us as we opened the portals of the palace. A small mandapa in white was located close by. A drizzle started as we heard a sound behind us. A caretaker had silently moved in and was opening the main door for us. We were the only visitors. As we soaked in the moment, we were given a capsule of history .

During one of the wars with Tipu Sultan, Dodda Veerarajendra had to retreat and he came to this dense forest. He converted it as an operation base and built a palace and even got married here . This palace was the final refuge of the last king , Chikkaveerarajendra before he was deposed by the British and it symbolised the end of the Haleri dynasty .The caretaker showed us around as we climbed a small ladder , saw the hidden chamber in the roof , the torture room, the royal bedrooms and the main.durbar

It was ironic that the Haleri kings who had befriended the British to fight Tipu Sultan was finally deposed by the Europeans. As we walked back, we saw a few tourists who had just returned from their trek toThadiyandamole . The sun had set as we walked back to our homestay, wondering how this silent monument would have once been a scene of battles fought and won.

The article was published in the Deccan Herald recently.A guided tour of Coorg will be launched soon and the details will be available here.

In September, I gave a 30-minute presentation on Photographing mountainscapes at Club Mahindra Whispering Pines Resort at Mashobra near Shimla. The audience included the winners and jury of Club Mahindra My Trip of a Lifetime travelogue contest.

In this presentation, I took some images from my archives and spoke about a single feature in the image that made me take the picture, or a feature that stood out in the image. Below are the slides of the presentation.

Photographing Mountains

It was just a few minutes to midnight and we were walking along La Seine in the historic center of Paris. On the right side was the beautifully lit Louvre. Looming ahead of us was the Cathedral of Notre Dame casting its beautiful reflection in the river. Far away at a distance, the twinkling lights show had started and the iconic Eiffel Tower was sparkling in brilliant light. The restaurants and coffee shops of the left bank were buzzing with activity.

We heard loud noises from Pont des Arts and as we hurried to it, we saw the pedestrian bridge filled with people. They were sitting in groups and drinking wine and beer and dancing and singing. All of a sudden we hear a commotion. A guy starts to take off his clothes and everybody rushes to one side of the bridge. We rush just in time to see the young man jump into the river. Another guy follows suit and the crowd erupts in cheers and claps.

Is that a bare butt? Oh My GOD – Is that guy naked” I ask Saru in an incredulous tone.

“Yup…he is! We saw so many naked statues and paintings today – It is only fair that we see one in flesh and blood. We are in Paris baby!
Saru and I went to Paris first in 1999 for our honeymoon, and for a second time this June to celebrate our 10th wedding Anniversary. It is for that reason, this place is very special to us.

This being our second trip to Paris, you won’t see me gushing about the Louvre or raving about the stain glass windows of Notre Dame. The bucket list was checked off in 1999, places sufficiently ‘wow’-ed and the awesomeness captured in a camera, so there was no pressure to visit every single attraction. Given that, I did not have a long list of things to do. I did however have a long list of things to eat (how can you not?). Think of the delicious buttery, flaky, crispy croissants and the soft, delicate, decadent, molten chocolate cake floating in a sauce of Crème Anglaise.

Our Paris trip started with a sandwich. YES, a SANDWICH and not just any sandwich, it was a Tomate et Mozzarella sandwich on pain olive (Olive Bread). We were hurrying to the airport train station when I was drawn to a cool looking cafe. “I am not hungry, you go ahead and buy yourself something” said Saru. Walking towards the train terminal, balancing the bag on one hand, my sandwich on the other while lamenting the fact that the tiny bottle of water cost me 3.5 Euro, I took one bite of the sandwich and came to a sudden halt. I screamed – HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, THIS SANDWICH IS FANTASTIC! I ran along to catch up with Saru while yelling “this sandwich is amazing”!!
Saru “Vam….we are in a public place….lower your voice”.

I stopped talking and was intently eating my sandwich. Saru waited for a few minutes, lost patience and asked “Are you going to share it with me or not?”
“Absolutely not! You said you were not hungry”
“I am not, but I want to taste the sandwich. Eat whatever you want and leave me the rest”
I kept eating my sandwich while Saru was watching with a disgusted look. Half over…..three quarters over… and he saw no signs of stopping. Saru lost it and pulled it from me.
“That’s enough!! It is my turn now”. I would have fought for it, but the train came and we boarded it.
“Oh Man!! This is awesome!” said Saru turning away as I was trying to grab the last piece.

To discover the real Paris, we skipped the usual attractions and walked in popular neighborhoods. Our mornings almost always began in the Latin Quartier, where locals lined up to buy their daily dose of bread and pastries every morning. I would baffle the shopkeepers with my utterly ridiculous French accent to order breakfast- “Un Croissant, un pain au chocolat et deux cafés”

While we loved the quaint shops on Ile Saint-Louis, the restaurants on Rue Cler, and the night life of the Left bank, our favorite district in Paris was Montmartre. Up on a hill, with panoramic views of the city, this locality is quintessential Paris. Pots of flowers spilling over the terraces, colorfully painted alleys, old windmills and outdoor art galleries make this neighborhood absolutely delightful. The walk from the Sacre Coeur to Moulin Rouge has everything from patisseries to porn stores and visiting each of those is a must for a complete Parisian experience.

Pantheon
Mostly ignored by tourists, Pantheon is one of my favorite monuments in Paris. It was initially built as a place of worship, but converted into a memorial for illustrious Frenchmen during the French Revolution. Many great men including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Mirabeau were buried in the crypt. The monument had an amalgamation of religious, political and scientific values from different periods in time. Some walls had frescoes depicting the life of St.Genevieve the patron saint, while some had paintings of political beliefs and dangling down from the dome was the scientific demonstration of Earth’s rotation using a Focault’s Pendulum.

The Louvre was overcrowded and not fun, but we loved the Musee D’Orsay. What a brilliant idea it was to convert the grand old station into a museum that showcases the progress art from the 10th to 21st century. . Moving from room to room, we saw how themes, styles and techniques changed over the years. While religious subjects dominated the early centuries, portraits and events from the lives of royalty were popular in the 14-16th centuries, followed by paintings of common man and peasant life to art nouveau paintings paving way to mordern art of 21st century. In Saru’s simplistic world, the paintings went from creative, elaborate to simple to ‘are you kidding me’!!

No trip to Paris can be complete without walking the Champs Elysees – La plus belle avenue du monde (The most beautiful avenue in the world). The two km stretch of road between the Arc De Triumph and the Obelisk has the most glitzy shops, fashionable boutiques and departmental stores. Sitting in the cafe, watching Paris walk by, I realize that this is one city where the past and present blend seamlessly to create a delightful experience. Beautiful women sashayed around the street flaunting their designer clothes and accessories while we indulged in our favorite activity – ‘People watching’. A few minutes after we sat down, I noticed that Saru was grinning from ear to ear.
Vam: What is so amusing?

Saru: Look around you, 80% of the women are showing their cleavage.

He was right. It was a beautiful summer day and Parisian women were dressed in pleated skirts and blouses with plunging necklines. Unlike America where summer attire is dominated by boring shorts and t-shirts, this place was like a parade of designer labels.

For dinner, we went to a Cafe on Rue Cler. Sounds of lively conversation, laughter and clinkling of cutlery filled the air. The savory crepes we ordered were smooth, soft and delicious.For dessert, I ordered a crepe with strawberry confiture. Food in Paris is edible art and every chef tries to create a masterpiece. I sipped the last of my Beaujolais while watching the cook pour the batter and deftly spread it around into a perfect circle. He poured a gigantic spoon of intensely aromatic butter and let the crepe sizzle in a pool of butter until it became brown and crispy. He then spread a generous amount of strawberry confiture, folded it, sprinkled powdered sugar and served it hot. The aroma of butter made my mouth water to indecent proportions, so I took a quick bite. “How is it”, asked Saru to which I replied “Tres bon”, “Excellente”. We walked back to the hotel, thoroughly satisfied with the food and the trip.

Looking back to our 1999 trip, we realized that we loved our 2009 Paris trip for completely different reasons. There is some parallel to be drawn about this and happiness in our lives over the years.