FILMY TOURIST - Karimpedia
"Watching a movie with a beautiful song picturized on a beautiful heroine in a beautiful location and when you come out of the multiplex and decide to go and see the beautiful location" - such backpackers are called FILMY TOURISTS.
When was the last time you felt such an urge?
Well, I, for one, felt so when I saw "Sanju Weds Geeta" a Kannada movie starring Srinagar Kitty and Ramya. The songs were so beautifully picturized on the ravishing Ramya in the backdrop of Bidar fort and the beauty of Badami Caves,that I immediately made up my mind to visit Badami Caves.
Doubt my words? Go watch the songs and you will fall in love with Bidar and Badami. Karnataka has always fascinated a traveller with its history, Nature and mysticism, be it the trekking terrains in the Western Ghats, the ruins of Aihole, Badami or Hampi, the magnificent Mysuru Palace, the Beautiful Tungabhadra Dam, the mesmerizing Jog Falls/Dudhsagar Falls or the enchanting Brindavan Gardens. Karnataka is indeed, "One State, Many Worlds"
Shall we get going on this filmy Odyssey to Badami? Is it just "Sanju Weds Geeta" that was shot here? Or are there many more movies shot here? Kiccha Sudeep's "Veera Madakari", and Golden Star Ganesh's "Mungaru Male" were also shot here. The Telugu blockbuster "Magadheera" starring Ram Charan and Kajal Aggarwal was shot here. Vikramarkudu, Nagavalli and Brindavanam are other Telugu movies shot here. Abhisekh Bachchan's Hindi movie "Guru" and Akshay Kumar's "Rowdy Rathore" were also shot here.
Still don't find reason to go to Badami?
Between 540 to 747 AD the Chalukyas ruled in this region and Badami was the capital, but it was then known as Vatapi. The rugged ravine surrounding the Agastya Lake makes it a beautiful backdrop and a visual treat. There are four rock-cut cave Temples here representing Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
In fact, your money is not wasted, because this is one of the triangular historical circuit of Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal. So you can relish the historical relics of the Chalukyan period at Aihole and Pattadakal.
And Hampi is not too far away from Badami, so why give it a miss, if you have the time. Hopping from the Chalukyan dynasty to the Vijayanagara Empire completes you journey into this time machine. Here every rock has a story to narrate. History comes alive at every nook and corner of Karnataka.
Badami can be reached from Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangalore and Mumbai by flight to Belagavi (IXG) and from there you can hire a cab. There are trains to Badami from Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. And buses you will find plenty.
The landscape on the way to Badami is all spruced up and beautiful, if you vroom on your bikes/car from both Hyderabad or Bangalore. Give the wind an opportunity to play with your hair.
Go, click some selfies on some filmy locations and make some memories to flaunt!
"If You don't know History, then you don't know anything. You are a Leaf that doesn't know it is part of a Tree" - Micheal Crichton
Cover Picture Credits: Wikipedia