Destination profile: Srisailam
State: Andhra Pradesh
Travel: Hyderabad to Srisailam
Distance: 240 kms
Mode: Bike
Number of days: 1
Ok. So did your jaws drop. Yes Srisailam is 240 kms from Hyderabad. But I drove an extra 60 kms after taking a wrong road towards Vijaywada while on our way back.
So let me begin. It was the Ganesh Puja day, which we picked to visit Srisailam. And we executed the plan with clockwork irregularity ;). We planned to start at 5 am. But we couldnt make it till 7:30 am. Once on the road, we thanked the gods for the amazing weather that day. (Have a look at the white clouds all through the pics)
(Hyderabad International Airport)
Picked the Shamshabad Srisailam road crossing the International airport. The whole stretch covering the airport would easily passoff as freeways in the US. Awesome.
( Had a quick breakfast at Dindi)
Dindi is around 100 kms from Hyderabad.
( Gypsies from Rajasthan)
( A mini dam on the way)
( Road leading towards the Nallamalai Ghats)
( Srisailam Tiger reserve)
The drive on the Nallamalai hills is most interesting of the entire journey. The roads are winding with jungle either side. It gives a creepy feelign and you cant help realising that you are all alone in the jungle. Occasionaly a car or a bus would cross you. But no two wheelers. Not everyone is mindless ;). But again, the feeling of biking on such roads is matchless to nething else. Car or a bus would kill that effect.
( Road from the top)
( The Annamalai Ghats are infested with monkeys.)
I was focussing on one monkey for a photo. I didnt realise all the while I was being sorrounded by a swarm of other monkeys.
( Srisailam Tiger reserve)
The Srisailam Tiger reserve at Nallamalai hills offers daily safari services. We did not have the bandwidth to go for it. But surely will someday.
The roads on the hills are dotted with billboards on, "Project Tiger" and "Save Wild Life".
( First view of Srisailam lake.)
We went to see the model of the Srisailam dam. The engineer was cordial to talk us through the intricacies of the giant engineering marvel that man has made. The facts that he shared with us were startling. One cannot marvel the site just by the look of it. It was a lesson for us to learn how mankind has tamed nature for its own welfare. It took 22 years to construct the dam and the tunnel below that carries water is a circtutous 70 kms stretch. Isnt it amazing. The dam takes care of 90 % of state's electricity needs.
( Reached Srisailam at 1 pm)
(Front view of the temple)
Photography inside the temple premise is not allowed
You can cruise on the Krishna basin with a launch. A ropeway carries you to the basin.
View from the launch
Isn't it amazing!
