Visit to a Film City- Ramoji

   If anyone ever asked me to describe my Film City visit in a sentence I would say "It was a Magical Journey in a Dreamland"

            

I have been to several theme parks, but a theme park of this large magnitude never. Spread on 1666 acres, Ramoji claims to be the largest integrated film city in the world. Inside the film city walking barely few steps you will find yourself transported from Streets of South India to Streets of England !! At a moment you will find yourself in Ghost land and just the other moment reach the Durbar Hall of Kings holding Royal assemblies !! At points you will enjoy the cool breeze in Japanese Garden and at other you will find Statue of Liberty standing in front of you holding her torch high. Every second spent there was exciting and full of surprises.  

        We reached Ramoji at 10 in the morning. There were different packages available for day long tour. The Package we booked costed us Rs 700 each and it included tour of Ramoji Film City by Vintage bus,  Ramoji Movie Magic, Eureka, Fundustan and Studio tours. We entered the film city after strict security check and a bus took us to Ramoji Movie Magic. 

        The giant palatial gates welcomed us in, there were several buildings like Ramoji Tower and Filmy Duniya inside. At left corner was Jimmy's Drive-in with a Vintage Car and model of Petrol pump in front, at right corner Mask and Spiderman stood opposite to the model of Barber's Den and in front was replica of Statue of Liberty. 

            We first entered the Ramoji Tower not aware that we were just few minutes short of experiencing an Earthquake !! We entered into a room that looked like a miniature version of cinema hall with  seating capacity of not more than 30-40 people . After everyone was seated the clamps automatically held us tight to our seats. The movie began and the people on screen said that we were about to face an earthquake when suddenly our seat began to move randomly, the screen showed some rat running around and we could feel them below our chairs near our feet tickling us, water pipes burst on screen and we could feel the drops reaching us as well, finally an helicopter came to our rescue... Irrespective of age, each and everyone shouted and laughed throughout the show and after the show ended I only wished it continued longer.

Inside Filmi Duniya

                                                                                        
         We next went inside the building named Filmi Duniya, here we were made to sit on toy trains and the train transported us to different eras, different countries and through different stories. The puppets and the sets inside were so  beautifully crafted that I just couldn't blink my eyes and despite knowing the fact that they were all sets I felt being a part of that era even if it was for few seconds. Just before starting the ride a photographer clicked our family picture and after coming out of Filmi Duniya our snaps was ready with Ramoji Film City background and properly placed in a book like envelop. Although for collecting the photographs you need to pay an amount but memories are priceless, isn't it ? 

       Next we went inside the Action studio, going by its name I guessed may be we will be made to witness some stunts but completely surprising me, Action Studio turned out to be the most informative part of Ramoji Movie Magic. Here in different chambers how actually the different stunt effects are created, how the different sound effects commonly heard during any action sequel is created was demonstrated. Volunteers were picked up from audience and the whole process was explained with intricate details making the volunteers perform the activities. And after recording the process, the action sequel of Sholay was demonstrated with sound effects and stunts done by volunteers. It was funny as the recording was more of a comedy than Action. Clearly indicating the amount of hard work that goes behind making an actual Action Sequel. It was noon by the time we moved out of the Studio. Welcoming us was Jimmy's Drive in, we enjoyed a stomach full yummy lunch there.

        Next on card was the Studio Tour, Dark Red Vintage Bus waited for our arrival. Guide was available with each bus who greeted us in several language as soon as we boarded. The amazing journey soon began.  We passed through beautifully maintained Gardens, passed through the sets that resembled Golden Temple, Mughal Garden. Crossed sets of Railway station. Some streets gave the flavour of West Bengal and some of England owning to the adjacent sets of different type of houses.  Soon our bus halted in-front of a huge building which looked just like an Airport Terminus. And to my surprise not only did the set resemble an Airport terminal but it had a model Aeroplane as well. 

             Very close to this we were taken to another set -The Bhagavatham Set which resembled Royal Durbar. The Guide explained that through this set an attempt has been made to preserve the cult serial, which was shot years ago. The majestic set with dazzling display of characters transported me back to that Era. 

Bhagavatham Set

Bhagavatham Set

Set of Bunglow of Zamindar of West Bengal

         After witnessing the set we again boarded the bus. The bus left us near Japanese Garden, the thematic garden with Pagoda like structure in the centre. From the Japanese Garden we climbed some stair and reached a Set which resembled the structure of Forts in Jaipur. Inside the fort few artists dressed in Rajasthani costume were performing their folk forms. From the topmost balcony the whole area covered by the beautifully planned Ramoji film City was visible. It was very windy up there and the view mesmerising. Spending some time there we walked through several parks and reached the butterfly garden. A dome shaped structure with greenery all around and lovely tender colourful creatures flying at ease. I felt like a guest in the house of hundreds of butterflies. 

Set of Forts in Jaipur

Japanese theme Park

View of Whole Ramoji film City from Set of Jaipur fort

          From the butterfly garden we headed towards a cave, Giant sleeping Buddha with his disciples welcomed us in. The cave had beautiful sculptures on the walls. It was dark inside with only few source of light. Different models of Gautam Buddha preaching his students were placed inside. The Set looked so natural that for a moment you will forget you are inside a Set . Inside the cave an audio visual show of small length played depicting shadow dance by a sculpture. It was engrossing to see the lovely moves by the dancer.   

Entrance of the Cave

From the Cave we walked towards the spot where we were supposed to board the vintage bus again. Just adjacent to the stand was the Sun fountain garden with a cascading fountain and magnificent structure of Sun God's chariot being drawn by mighty horses in the centre.  

              

            The Vintage Bus carried us back to the same spot from where we had boarded it. Next on card was visiting Fundustan, or the Kid's Zone. Even an aged person will forget their age once they have landed in this part of Ramoji film city for sure. In Fundustan the first attraction for us was Borasura-Magicians workshop. Inside the Borasura at times we had to  walk over molten lava, at other times find our way out of a giant maze, at times fight dragons and at other times walk through enchanted revolving path that could make you feel dizzy but at the exit what was common on each and every face was a big smile. 
               
                From here we went to Dadajinn's Ark, a video game parlour housed inside a ship like structure. Cool new gadgets and latest games can bring out the kid in everyone here. From the Ark we went to the Dome Amphitheatre, here we witnessed some live tricks , dances, beautiful juggling and stunt shows. It was almost 5pm by the time the show ended. Sets of Ramoji were slowly getting lit and giving beautiful view of the whole surrounding.

               During our period of visit Festive Celebration was going on at Ramoji with various groups from different states and various colleges coming to showcase their talent. So apart from the fixed set of entertainment we had an extra perk of enjoying the live performances of extremely talented people from all over India. We took our seats while several groups performed engrossing  acts on stage. 

            A celebration parade was scheduled after the acts got over but as we had to travel long way back to our hotel we couldn't wait any longer. Ramoji Bus service waited to take us back to the Exit gate. The whole film city was lit by then. It looked like a Dreamland with lots of positivity and creativity all around. Cool breeze kissed my face as the bus started. And with every twist and turn of the road the Sets that I had visited the whole day seemed to wave me a  smiling goodbye. It was a day where every second was filled with excitement, surprise and smile. Thanks to each and everyone involved in building this dreamland, where people can come and take back thousands of happy memories !

Illuminated Angel's Fountain 

Visit to Rock-cut-temples of Elephanta Caves

A day long excursion to the Elephanta Caves located on an island hill about 10 km from Mumbai in Arabian Sea was one of my memorable experience amongst many during Mumbai visit. We left early morning hiring a cab for The Gateway of India. Standing on banks of the vast Arabian Sea, this giant structure was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary on 2nd Dec 1911. The Structure was a combination of  Hindu and Muslim architectural styles:  the arch of Muslim style & the decorations of Hindu style. Near Gateway of India stood another magnificent building "The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel". A hotel that served as host to several big names of the world & that witnessed fearful terror attacks in 2008 stood firmly as if signifying Good always overcomes evil. As soon as we entered the campus of Gateway of India we were surrounded by people booking tickets for ferry ride to The Elephanta Caves. We booked our tickets costing Rs 150 per head for to and fro journey to the cave islands containing the rock cut temples that dated back from 2nd Century BC to 12th Century BC .

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel & Gateway of India

All the ferries were double- deckers with proper sitting arrangements in both. We chose the top deck which provided unrestricted view owning to properly lined chairs along the periphery. After all fellow passengers boarded our journey over Arabian Sea began. The city of Mumbai gradually diminished in size & finally was out of view. While sailing towards our destination we saw Navy fleets, ships, sea birds.. My camera clicked all its way and then after almost an hour journey an island came in view.

At Elephanta Island the ferry stopped at the end of a long pier. It doesn’t take much time to walk to the stairs leading up to the caves, but Maharashtra tourism runs a miniature train to cover this distance. We boarded this train that had cost us Rs 10 each (pretty less fare compared to the time & energy it saved.) . The train left us near the stairs that led to the Caves. Though I didn't count the number of stairs it must have been well over 100. For aged people who couldn't climb there was facility of palanquin service..wooden chair tied with two bamboo stick. We preferred to walk, on either side of the staircase were locals selling souvenirs, guidebooks, berries & fruits. As our climb was interrupted by sessions of Seeing , bargaining, purchasing presents we didn't realize the height we had climbed until we reached the top and the ferry ghat looked palm size.

The cave comprised of five rock-cut excavations of which three were rock cut temples.  Cave -1 (the main cave) ,dedicated to Lord Shiva was the main attraction and it dated to mid 7th century AD.  It consisted of a pillared hall with a small shrine & four entrance doors flanked by guardians.  While the massive but graceful figures of divinities, guardians & certain architectural features such as square pillar with cushion capitals suggested Chalukya influence, the depiction of mountains and clouds  plus hairstyle of women suggested Gupta influence in Art. The figure of Lord Shiva in central panel of the back wall signified all three parts of Lord- creator,destroyer & protector.  The carvings on the cave walls were true masterpiece and left me in awe.  We hired a guide who explained stories behind different carvings and guided us from one cave to the other.

Carvings on the cave walls

 

Caves on the Elephanta Island

We spent a great time amidst these old carvings getting awed by their beauty. It was past noon when we finished exploring each cave and started our return journey. When we reached the base of staircase we realized we were extremely hungry. All the while we were so lost in the beauty of the caves that we were not aware of the time we had spent! At the base we quenched our hunger at a restaurant & then waited in queue for the miniature train to take us back to the ferry ghat. During the return journey we sat at the lower floor of double decker ferry as the top was already full.. It was almost evening and the water sparkled as sun's rays fell over it... Everything looked so beautiful coz my heart was satisfied with a beautiful day spent in completely different way exploring the unknown !!!

Heaven on earth...Nainital

The joy of visiting places and getting to know the unknown is the best feeling one can have. I have been to many hill stations and comparing any one with the other will be doing injustice with Nature. I was blessed to be able to spend a few days in Nainital & being my Birthday gift the trip meant a lot more than any other. 

On route to Nainital

We got down by train at Kathgodam Railway Station and hired a cab for Nainital. Cabs, shared taxis and buses are easily available on this route. It was early morning when we began our journey towards Nainital. With each curve of road sun's rays played games over the mountains sometimes giving shade to one peak at other times lightening it up. Also along the road there were small waterfalls adding surprise elements to the forward journey. 

Waterfall on route to Nainital

Witnessing sun's game & experiencing the surprise elements we reached Nainital. We booked room having lake view in Hotel on Mall road, got freshened up & soon were ready for making memories in this beautiful hill station. The view of Naini lake, with mountains surrounding from all sides and clouds kissing the surface of water with its movement was magical. It drew us like a mgnet & hence our first spot was automatically fixed. 






We strolled through the narrow pavement bordering the lake and reached the place for booking boats. Boating on the magnificent lake at a height of 6,837 ft above sea level was awesome. We were accompanied by a localite who kept giving us several information about Nainital. According to him Nainital city got its name from this lake, the northern end of the lake is called Mallital, while the southern one is called Tallital.. Hypnotized by the beauty of Nature & his stories we spent a good time in the lake.

After the cool boating experience we hired a cab for sightseeing. Our 1st point was Naina Peak, the highest point around, 2615 mts above sea level. This is also known as China peak / Cheena peak.  From here I got the bird's eye view of the mango shaped Naina lake that I had sailed on few minutes before and the city of Nainital surrounding it. The road to Naina Peak had forest of vibrant rhododendrons, soaring deodars and cypresses. After capturing the beauties via camera we moved on with our journey.

After traveling few minutes we reached the Himalaya Darshan View point ,nestled at a height of about (2300 MT) from this spot we got a glimpse of mighty Himalayan ranges and valley view of lower forested ridges. The view was eye soothing, here there were facilities of viewing different peaks by telescopes & binoculars. Luckily when we went the sky wasn't cloudy & we got a clear view of all the peaks.

Sadiatal cascade, on Kaladungi-Nainital national highway was our next place of visit. Nearby area also had Himalayan Botanical Garden containing rare medicine plants, ferns, butterfly park & aquatic garden.  The water of the cascade was icy cold. We had some snacks and tea from stalls near the cascade and went on with our journey




Our next spot was Echo cave garden, located at Sukhtal, its was a natural park containing inter-connected rocky caves and hanging gardens. The walk through the narrow path cut from rocks, crawling inside the caves , sitting beside the muscial fountain and witnessing the rare flowers maked the visit to this park exciting & informative. 

From here we went to St. John in the Wilderness,  a tranquil place located in Mallital.  According to the facts, this church was established in the year 1844. Daniel Wilson, the Bishop of Calcutta, came here to establish the foundation stone of the church. During his visit, he fell ill and had to stay in an unfinished house close to the forest. Therefore, the church came to be known as the St. John in the Wilderness. The church serves as a memorial for the victims of the landslide of 1880 and has a brass plaque, where the victim's names are written.


After spending some time there our cab driver brought us back to where we had started our journey - Mall road. On either side of the street were small stalls, shops, peddlers selling different items.  If you are in Nainital then you should buy candles for you will find infinite variety of candles here. We strolled our way through Mall road buying some gifts for close ones until we reached Naina devi temple

Considered as one of the 'Shakti Peeths' and a significant religious site, the Naina Devi Temple is one of the most important places of worship in Nainital. It is believed that Sati's eyes fell at the same spot where this temple is built, hence the name Naina Devi. Inside the temple complex, there was a huge Peepal tree that seemed like sheltering the visitors. Across the Peepal tree was an idol of Lord Hanuman. Within the inner sanctumwere sculpted figures of three deities; in the centre are two netras (eyes) that represent Naina Devi, to the left is Mata Kali Devi and to the right, Lord Ganesha. We offered our prayers to MA shakti here.  Prasaad and other requisites for offering prayer was easily available at the entrance. The temple located just beside the vast naini lake with mountains surrounding gave me goosebumps. One can spend hours sitting in its campus which is so serene.

Mall road leading to Naina devi temple

 After spending a good time in the temple campus we strolled back towards our hotel .On way back we stopped at two churches - St. Francis Catholic Church also known as Lake Church & Methodist church. At evening after sunset the view of Naini lake with lights lit all around in the mountain gave a mesmerizing view. Although we could have had food at our hotel I preferred going out for dinner. The Mall road was busy with tourist trying to pick the gifts of there choice at the lowest rate. We climbed few stairs to reach Machan restuarant. My Dad had arranged for a birthday cake with a pretty candle on it.. Cutting cake at around 2084 mts above sea level experiencing beauty of Nature was bliss... This is one birthday I will cherish forever !!!!

Scotland of East.. Shillong

Shillong, one of the smallest states in India and home to the Khasis, is widely known as "Scotland of the East". Situated at an average altitude of 4,908 feet this town surrounded by the rolling hills around reminded the European settlers of Scotland & hence the name. I experienced the beauty of this place few days back. My jouney towards this beautiful hill station began in morning from Paltan Bazaar at Guwahati. After almost half an hour of driving on plains the twisted roads began . I personally enjoy ride through these curves because with each turn a new view comes alive. We halted at Nangpoh for tea, while my family got busy with refreshments me & my camera got busy clicking..

On route to Shillong

The curves increased with time and so did beauty of surrounding landscape. After almost a journey of 2 hours 30mins we reached our first spot "Umium Lake" , a reservoir located in the hills 15 km to the North of Shillong. Barapani, as localites call this lake is vast surrounded by hill from all sides. Spending some time here we moved forward towards Shillong town.

Umium Lake

In Shillong we first went to Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shillong which covers the Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya. This church is built in place of Church of the Divine Saviour,  a Wooden church built in 1913 and destroyed by fire in 1936. Interesting architecture, peaceful surrounding & beautiful carvings inside the Church awed me.

Cathedral of Mary Help of Cristians

View from Top of Church

Next we went to Shillong Peak, the city derives its name from this Peak which is 1965 mts above sea level. Being the highest point in Meghalaya we got a bird's eye view of entire Shillong town. There's provision to view different Shillong points by telescope from here. As located inside the Air force camp permission was needed to visit this spot, getting the permission isn't difficult it can be easily obtained at the entry gate of Air force camp near the peak.

View from Shillong Peak

From Shillong peak we next went to Elephant falls, this falls was originally called Ka Kshaid Lai Pateng Khohsiew by the Khasi people because the water falls into three step. The Britishers renamed the falls because there used to be a rock resembling an elephant near the left side of the main falls, it was destroyed in an earthquake back in 1897. In order to view the 2nd and 3rd fall we has to descend through many stairs (although i didn't count it must have been more than hundred) & cross bridge both built cutting rocks. At times the falls came very close & at other time it went far. The walk through the stairs was interesting as I came across many ferns & unique plants. 

1st fall

Bridge, stairs & 3rd fall 

Our next destination was Shillong Golf course. Apart from the scenic beauty it is one of the largest & one of the fewest natural Golf courses of Asia. Located on both sides of road, the Golf course had pine and rhododendron trees surrounding it. Perfect location for a good game of Golf in the lap of Nature.

Shillong Golf course

From Golf course we headed towards Don Bosco Museum, this seven-floor Museum situated at Mawlai, Shillong offered me an unforgettable experience of the Northeast by means of over 14 aesthetically pleasing and informative galleries. Their race, dress, food habit,  communication method, folk dance, weapons, musical instruments and lots more.. In fact it was like an encyclopedia of North east. Spent a good time there getting information & trying to understand North eastern culture. On the top floor in the Audio visual room I saw two documentaries one on folk dances and the 2nd a brief summary of Northeast India in form of a song.. it was lovely. After the audio Visual we went for the walk in Skyline. Here again I got the view of the beautiful Shillong town.

Shillong Town as viewed from Skyline over DonBosco Museum

Our final destination was Ward's Lake & Botanical Garden. Ward's lake is an artificial lake having chock-full of fish, ducks & swarms located at the heart of the city. Encircled by a winding walk-way and is inter spread with gently sloping flowerbeds, Lotus pond, musical fountain and innovative illumination this place is best suitable for having quite time holding loved one's hand. I found many couples sitting chatting & fun making here.

Lotus flowers at Ward's Lake

A great day spent in the beautiful hill station..Lots of places visited.. lots of memories made.. There is truly too much to explore all around the world all it needs is eagerness in eyes and passion in heart..