At One Food Courts, Near RTA Check post, Annavaram (Andhra pradesh)

 

                                 

While going from Vizag to Annavaram we came across this grand food court with a very big compound surrounded by greenery. The food court recently started in 2017, appears very huge with many sections to cater to customers dishes of various kinds like South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, milkshakes, ice creams and other beverages. The washrooms are very neat and clean. We had our morning breakfast here along with steaming filter coffee. We felt quite refreshed. Outside the food court there is space for children to play games and relax. There are a few stalls displaying clothes and other textiles. The clean and attractive surroundings with tasty refreshments impress any customer though the service is a little bit slow. The food prices are a little expensive. As this multi-cuisine food court is just beside the highway, we found a good number of people with families seated on chairs and waiting for their turn. Throughout the week this comfort food restaurant works from 6.30 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. Along with tiffins, lunch and dinner are available here. Many celebrities and film personalities visited this food court and enjoyed the dishes here relaxing in comfortable and pleasant surroundings.

                               +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


4th February, 2018                                                      Somaseshu Gutala

About our stay at Hotel Shubhagruha, Amalapuram (Andhra Pradesh)

Hotel Shubhagruha (Amalapuram)

                     

Reception Area

View of the room

Wall Painting in the corridor

decorative dolls in the room shelf

Handcrafted Dolls on the shelf

View of anteroom

During our pilgrimgage tour of Pancharama Kshetras, we preferred to stay in Amalapuram as it is very near to the temples we have planned to see. Amalapuram is a big commercial center with many shops and markets. The streets are moderately wide with many shops lining the main road. We selected this hotel after browsing as it is on the main road and has many facilities such as parking facility, A.C. wifi, T.V. CCTVs , room service and hot and cold shower.  The rooms are moderately big and seemed quite neat and clean. We were much impressed by the helpful and courteous behavior of the manager and other hotel staff.

 Though the hotel has no restaurant attached, we can go to nearby restaurants located at a distance of two or three kms. We went to Ganapati Food House near Lalitha Theatre and our choice proved to be the right one. The vegetarian section is on the first floor and the non-vegetarian section is on the second floor. We went to vegetarian section to have our dinner.This restaurant has been started recently and the furniture and other items seemed quite new. The tables and other items of furniture are made of fibre glass and added a new decent attractive look to the place. The service is prompt and there is an ample variety of dishes for one to choose such as veg. soups, veg. starters, veg.curries, rotis, kulchas, naans, paratas, fried rice and many types of Biriyanis. One has to go for ala carte as no thali is available. Quite opposite to this restaurant, there is Ganapati Lodge and on the way one can see Ganapati Sweets and Bakery. The opening hours are from 11.30a.m. to 3.30 p.m and from 6.30p.m to 11.30 p.m. in the evening. One can have the satisfaction of tasting the delicious typical coastal area dishes in this restaurant.

Ganapati Food House

 As we were five members, we were allotted one double room and a family suite. The suite has an ante room with a big sofa, table and a chair. The hotel is artistically designed with beautiful wall posters and attractive colors. The wooden toys kept in the shelf with colorful illumination is the star attraction. The room was equipped with a sofa, a chair and a writing table.The authorities should have provided stationery material and also a manual to give information about neighboring tourist temples and attractions. In the bathroom also items like dental and shaving kit may be provided as this hotel claimed a star status.

 The manager was very courteous and came forward to arrange for our dinner by room service. Though there is parking facility, there is no separate room for drivers to sleep and take rest. This issue may also be looked into. In the morning tea and coffee may be sent to rooms by 6.30 a.m. for the convenience of customers. As the room tariffs are in the range of 3000/- to 4000/- more facilities may be provided on a par with that of a three- star hotel.

                                       *****************************************************

2nd February, 2018                                             Somaseshu Gutala

At Sri Ramaiah Mess and Caterers, Prakasam Road, Governor Peta., Vijayawada

                       

In Vijayawada this mess is located in the busy area of Governor Pet and we find it always very much crowded. This is one of the oldest restaurants and it looks simple without much decorative show. To get the real typical flavor of Andhra food this is a must visit place. One gets a very tasty and sumptuous meal with many curries, soups and chutneys with spicy flavor. The service is quite prompt and good. Most of the employees are women clad in saris and covering their heads with napkins. The typical chutneys like gongura and mango pickle tickle our taste buds. Ulavacharu with milky cream tastes very good. There are many other items like fried rice, dal, sambar, rasam, curd, halwa, badam milk and ice cream concluding with a very tasty sweet Pan. In the restaurant there are three sections for thalis of three types costing Rs. 100/- 150/- and 200/.The Wooden board with words "Annam Parabrahma Swaroopam" suggests that one should not waste food as it is a form of supreme God.

The items are served fresh and hot. The surroundings are maintained neat and clean. Catering services are also available .  Parcel service is also done. In many marriages and functions their catering services are held in great esteem. The working hours are from 11.00 a.m to 4.00 and from 7.30 to 10.30 p.m. in the evening.  Here only payment in cash is accepted. It would be better if payment by debit and credit cards is also accepted. We felt a sense of satisfaction that we have dined here in one of the oldest and popular mess and catering centers. We also realized that taste and good service matter more than just outward trappings and sophistication.

27th January, 2018                                  Somaseshu Gutala

                 ***************************************************************************

At Babai Hotel, NRP Road, Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh)

Babai Hotel

                 

     

During our stay at Vijayawada, we visited the most popular restaurant “Babai Hotel” to have the pleasure of tasting the south Indian dishes prepared in a traditional manner . This hotel was started in 1942 by Patruni Sambamoorti who fondly used to call his customers “Babai” which means father’s younger brother. The hotel is in a small house with four or five tables. Old photos showing celebrities like politicians and film actors are displayed on the walls. Famous personalities like Sri Vajpeyi, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy,Sri N.T.Rama Rao,  Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, Chandra Mohan came here to have their breakfast.

 Most of the customers buy coupons, and wait for their turn to taste the idilis topped with a lump of fresh white butter along with coconut chutney, sambar and spicy powder. Forgetting the simple surroundings they enjoy eating idlis which are prepared by using natural ingredients without adding any artificial substances. They follow the same old menu and old techniques and the surroundings also remind us the good old times when we used to sit in a homely restaurant without any showy splendor. Tiffin items like Idli, Upma, pongal , Pesarattu with Upma and Dosa are staple menu all prepared in a traditional manner and served in plates with banana leaves.The steaming cups of coffee in steel glasses with tumblers remind us the traditional way of serving coffee. At the reception counter also we do not find any computer. The manager just writes the bill on a slip and hands it over with a friendly smile.

 After Babai’s demise in 1985, his nephew Valiveti Narasimha Rao became the proprietor. In 2007 the building of the hotel was renovated with addition of two upper floors accommodating twenty five people on each floor. The working hours are from 7.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m and from 6.00 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Only tiffins are available here. This hotel is looked upon as a heritage hotel with a long history of serving great people for the last seventy five years. Don’t miss the chance of going to this place if you go to Vijayawada.

                 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

22nd January, 2018                                                  Somaseshu Gutala

About my stay at Hotel Southern Grand, Vijayawada

Deluxe Room

Conference Room

Add caption

       

Restaurant

         

     

  The Southern Grand group of hotels is an associate of the well-known Southern travels Private Ltd, Which arranges travels and tourism within and outside our country. Apart from Delhi and Jaipur, it has set up a hotel with 37 rooms spread over three floors in Gandhinagar, Vijayawada in 2012. We selected this hotel as it is located in the heart of the city and is very near to tourist sites and temples like Durga Temple, Bhavani Island, Undavalli caves, Rajiv Gandhi Park and Prakasam Barrage. Hotel Southern Grand is just o.5 km from Railway station, one k.m from the Main Bus stand and 19 kms from Gannavaram airport. It is a 3-star hotel with deluxe, Executive deluxe and Royal Southern types of rooms.

The room tariffs vary from 2,800/ to 4,500/- depending on the type of room selected by us. The room is spacious with all modern facilities like wifi, cable T.V. A.C. tea/coffee maker, mineral water, mini-fridge, storage space, laundry service, electronic locker, and study table and bathroom toiletries. Complimentary pick up and drop are arranged from Airport/Railway Station/ Bus Stand on advance information. But as we booked rooms through booking.com site we were not provided this facility. Complimentary breakfast is also given to customers at 8.00 a.m. As we were three persons we were given one spare bed beside the cots. The hotel authorities kindly permitted us to stay for four hours beyond check out time (12.00 noon) by charging a nominal amount.  On the first floor there is an air-conditioned banquet hall available on rent with a seating capacity of 200 persons for organizing conferences, parties and functions. 

There is Arya Bhavan restaurant on the ground floor where you can have pure vegetarian items of both South Indian and North Indian types. Though there is parking space, the room provided for drivers is not neatly maintained. The room service is quite pathetic as soaps, towels and mug were given only after we asked for them. Housekeeping staff should pay more attention to clean maintenance of the rooms. Pamphlets giving information about neighboring tourist places and temples may be provided. Tea /coffee may be provided at 6.30 a.m. in the morning along with complimentary newspaper. One finds quite cosy and comfortable stay in this hotel which has all facilities and is quite near all tourist places.

                             *****************************************************

20th January,2018                                                        Somaseshu Gutala

About my visit to Maheshwar (Madhya Pradesh)

Ahilya Dwar leading to Raj Wada

Front View at rajwada

       

Holkar Palace

Raj Gadde 

Sculptures on Ahilyabai's Chhatri

Maheshwari Saris

   

Maheshwar Fort

                       

Statue of Ahilyabai near entrance at Raj Wada

                       

Carvings on the panels

                                               

Carvings on the fort walls

                               

Chhatri of Vithoji

                       

Chhatri's sanctum

Ahilyeshwar Temple near Chhatri of Ahilyabai

Elephant figures on friezes of the fort walls

Stone artwork on the walls of Ahilyabai Chhatri

A holy shrine inside the fort

Ahilyabai cremation place near Mahila Ghat

Artisticaly designed windows of the fort

Baneshwar Temple in the river bed

Ek Mukhi Datta Temple nea

After completing our trip to Omkareshwar we proceeded towards Ujjain. On the way we halted at Maheshwar to see the spectacular Maheshwar fort built by the famous queen Ahilyabai Holkar. It is nearly 65 kms from Omkareshwar. Rani Ahilyabai made Maheshwar as her capital city in 1767 and ruled here till her demise in 1795. In 1818 Malhar Rao Holkar III shifted the capital back to Indore. The Rajwada is seen just opposite the fort. The simple building without any pomp and splendor reveals the austere and pious life of Rani Ahilya Bai who devoted most of her income in renovating temples and building choultries and digging wells in pilgrimage towns like Benares,Haridwar,Dwaraka, Puri, Dwaraka,Pushkar, Nasik,Pune ,Badrinath and Kanchi. More than half of her palace has been converted into a four-star hotel with traditional outlook and ultramodern facilities. The outer courtyard looks quite simple with a statue of Lord Krishna in the middle. The tall statue of Ahilyabai is seen in the inner courtyard in standing position holding a sacred Shiva Linga in her hands. In the prayer hall we saw many wooden frames on which hundreds of Shiva Lings made of earth are set up. Daily she used to do Abhishkam to thousands of these Shiva Lingas along with Brahmins praying for the welfare of her people.  We also saw many idols and sacred stones (called Bana Lingas) collected by her from the river bed of the Narmada.

 In the court hall we saw the painted pictures of the royal family members. The royal palanquin, shields and weapons used by royal personages are also displayed. The marble statue of the queen seated on a cushioned bed shows the simplicity and unassuming behavior coupled with religious devotion. She faced many calamities at a very young age losing her husband, her son and son-in-law and her own daughter, Krishna bai, who commited Sati. Yet she carried out her responsibilities as queen with utmost sincerity and dedication. The rooms on upstairs were used as royal residence and the rooms on the ground floor once  used as royal court have been converted into a museum. We did not see the portion of the palace which is now used a grand hotel.

 Later we went to see the fort which is a massive stone construction with many steps leading to a cluster of buildings on the banks of Narmada. Just at the foot of the stairs on the right side we saw the chatri or cenotaph of Vitoji Rao Holkar.  On the panels of the chhatri, we find many beautiful carvings of royal figures and caparisoned elephants. Facing the entrance of the chhatri of Vitoji  is another gateway leading to another enclosure where we can see Ahilyeshwar Shivalaya, the chhatri of Ahilyabai constructed by her daughter, Krishna Bai, in a very artistic manner with many floral motifs. It resembles a holy temple with Shiva’s shrine inside. Just near this chatri we can see Raja Rajeshwari’s temple. From the enclosure that houses two chatris another gateway leads to another flight of stairs leading to the main ghat of Maheshwar which has nearly two kms of stone-paved way with twenty eight ghats. Ahilya Bai installed many Shiva lIngas all aong the way near every ghat.  Some enclosures for ladies are set up for changing clothes after their holy dip in the river.

 Later we went by boat to see the temple of Baneshwar Mahadev built on a rock in the river by Anand Raj Paramar in fifth century. But the waters are too marshy and we were not able to reach there.

 Next we went to see the shop where the famous Maheshwari saris are sold. Rani Ahilya Bai during her reign encouraged the weavers from Malwa and Surath to produce this kind of silk and cotton sari with Zari borders for wearing by royal members. These soft and light saris come with distinctive designs of stripes, checks and floral borders in colors like grape green, magenta, purple, deep brown, golden yellow, mustard yellow, and deep pink shades. Three alternating stripes of different colors with two white stripes are woven in such a way that they can be worn from either side. The prices range from 1800 to 6000/- approximately. Mostly organic and vegetable dyes are used. Kurtas and other dress items are also available here. It is better to buy saris here as no additional tax is imposed at the place of manufacture. The Rehwa Society, an N.G.O. founded by Holkar royal family helps the weavers and working members of these centers.

 We did not have time to see Sahasrajun temple and Ek Mukhi Dutta temple near Sahasra Dhara Jalkote. One should spend at least two days here to enjoy the serene atmosphere and visit the surrounding holy shrines. Maheshwar Fort is the prime attraction where many film shootings were also done as it is an artistic marvel nestled in beautiful surroundings on the banks of the holy river, Narmada.

                                       *********************************************

23rd December, 2017                                   Somaseshu Gutala