Unhurried

19/04/2024

On this world heritage day, let's talk finance. 500 years back, a merchant might use gadyana or varahas (gold) in a business transaction.

A normal man might use a Tara(silver) or a Jitala(copper) for everyday use. How expensive were these metals?

Well, 1 varaha = 3.38gm, a Tara = 0.3gm and a Jitala=3.1gm approximately

Various taxes and tolls ensured the administration of South India was quite well for nearly 300 years. It's just 70 odd years of independent India, just to give a context.

21/02/2024

A portrait of a young Tipu Sultan from the 1780s credited to the German artist Johan Zoffany who was patronised in England's court. A unique feature of this work is that the Sultan seems to look directly at you wherever you stand facing him. An illusion trick of portraiture that goes beyond 1700s, in fact to the times of Greeks & Romans!

15/02/2024

From 1880s onwards through 1900s, a unique experiment started in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens.

Under the keen eye of Superintendent John Cameron, some very talented artists drew and catalogued around 1000 botanical drawings that went from Bangalore to Kew Gardens, London and returned.

Still maintained safely, it shows not just meticulous survey but also the talent of the artists who brought life on paper through just water colours!

08/02/2024

New discoveries one makes on a heritage tour. This couple look like some important chieftain (notice the crowns) and wife, probably donated land or money grant to a temple..maybe from Vijayanagara period

06/02/2024

Pietra Dura, Parchinkari - an art of inlaying precious stones & gems on marble..originating in Italy and given its best form in Rajasthan temples and the Taj.
Standing at the entrance of a Jain temple in the busy streets of chikkapete, Bengaluru, I admire the generational skills of craftsmen who have indianised an art from across continents

22/01/2024

Glimpses of the Bengaluru Pete - the story of our city - on an Unhurried journey

15/12/2023

Hola! Old city experiences for a couple of lively Mexican visitors. Very at home while crossing the streets or having tender coconut malai!

14/12/2023

Shiva, as Nataraja, performing the celestial dance - the tandava - over the demon, Apasmara, who symbolises evil & ignorance. Over time this becomes much popular form of him and is regarded as the symbol of both Indian classical dance and the Indian contribution at CERN. From philosophy to dance & physics, Shiva is all pervading.

10/12/2023

Hampi is to our State what Angkor Wat is for Cambodia and it's that time of the year when Hampi is on everyone's minds.

Here's an old article, in Times UK, which mentions our own Poornima Dasharathi

It was just after 6am, and still dark enough to have to use torches on the rocky path up Matanga Hill, when we heard the blood-curdling growl coming from the undergrowth. Our guide, Samad Kottur, stopped, put his finger to his lips and cupped his hand to his ear before beckoning us to move. “Sloth...

07/12/2023

We had a fun time walking with our guests, from two different hemispheres & narrating the stories of some unique trees in Lalbagh - for two consecutive days.

11/11/2023

Happy Deepavali to you all.

Deepa/deepam means light and Avali means a line, in short it means ‘a line of lamps’.

As the winter sets in with shorter days and longer nights, India celebrates it with illumination of innumerable lamps.

Not just in India but it is celebrated in other countries that follow similar customs such as Nepal, Malaysia, Myanmar and even as far as Fiji, Trinidad & Tobago!

So what is its significance and how old is it?

There are many travellers like the 16th century Portuguese Domingo Paes or the 11th century Persian Alberuni who speak of the grandness of this festival. It's mentioned in the Vedas and is a significant event even in our mythologies.

It's the time when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya and Lord Krishna defeated the evil asura, Naraka. Goddess Lakshmi was also born from churning the ocean during this time. It was also during Deepavali that the unfortunate Bali was banished to the netherworld.

Divinity aside, it's an ancient simple harvest festival linked to winter that has longer nights in the northern hemisphere. What better way than to celebrate the harvest than bursting crackers, buying new clothes, preparing sweets and enjoying the company of your friends and family?

Our ancestors blend practices and philosophy quite beautifully in this illuminative way, isn’t it?

With this small note, the Unhurried team wishes all of you a beautiful Deepavali.

11/10/2023

A lovely testimony for our Lalbagh walk today. Thank you myscenicdrives.com

27/09/2023

A look back on our walks & tours on this World Tourism Day

08/05/2023

This May 21st, explore Malleswaram with Unhurried tours, on a Yulu bike. More details & booking at http://www.unhurried.in/malleswaram-tour-on-yulu.html

01/03/2023

Bengaluru. Glimpses of an era of fortifications, battles, palaces - transformed now into a busy market area next to the greenspan of Lalbagh gardens & waterbodies.

01/03/2023

Bengaluru. Glimpses of an era of fortifications, battles, palaces - transformed now into a busy market area next to the greenspan of Lalbagh gardens & waterbodies.

20/12/2022

Bangalore's 'towns' are known for lovely churches, Anglican history and laidback bungalows. Let us discover Christmas in these towns this December.
More details here.
http://www.unhurried.in/festivalwalks-732240.html

12/12/2022

India has the best stone sculptors in the world and the Hoysalas era was their best phase. Admiring the art of etching innumerable stories on stone.. as we go on a Hoysala journey

05/11/2022

The Mahamantapa or the musical pillared hall as it's commonly called by tourists to Vijaya Vithala, Hampi.
Looks like the sculptor here forgot it's stone and sculpted as if it's wood! This northern section of the hall has Vamana and Narasimha avatars in the foreground

25/10/2022

I wish you to know that on this day begins their New Year; they make great feasts and give the gifts - Domingo Paes about Deepavali in Hampi, 16th century. Wishing all Unhurried travellers a very happy Deepawali

21/10/2022

'Kere's or large tanks were the sources of water to many Indian cities that were not by the riverside. Specially in south deccan, where the terrain has ups and downs, the overflow from a higher lake filled the lower one. Now you know why certain areas of Bengaluru get flooded in monsoon!

21/10/2022

'Kere's or large tanks were the sources of water to many Indian cities that were not by the riverside. Specially in south deccan, where the terrain has ups and downs, the overflow from a higher lake filled the lower one. Now you know why certain areas of Bengaluru get flooded in monsoon

19/10/2022

South Indian temples are not just home to beautiful sculptures but also murals. This painting is one of the many that adorn the inner roofs of Lepakshi temple and dated to the 16th century.

Here, Lord Siva going around the city for alms(bhiksha). Shiva is shown peaceful and handsome while the gana who's carrying his begging bowl is shown small. The ladies, wives of rishis, are queued up to give the lord a ladle of rice.
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Courtesy: Vijayanagara Paintings, C. Sivaramamurti

26/09/2022

Navarathri - Portuguese horsetrader Paes in the 16th century called it the principal festival with great feasts. A century earlier from Persian court, Abul Razzak called it magnificent where the kings show their power, pomp and glory.

Later, it got a new name Dasara, from the Mysore kings. Today we show the same with colourful themed dolls.

Happy Navarathri, Dasara, everyone. http://www.unhurried.in/festivalwalks.html

24/09/2022

A 13th century inscription in these typical Hoysala soapstone temples of Turuvekere describes about this town being donated as an agrahara by the military commander Sommana (of Somanathapura) during King Narasimha's reign. Inscriptions such as these not only talk about land grants but also give insights to local cultivation methods, communities and various other details besides the political history.

03/09/2022

Queen Victoria, the Empress of the British Empire at its zenith. She is in the royal regalia - the robes, the Crown, Orb & Sceptre. Her statue was unveiled in the English Cantt of Bangalore a century ago by the visiting Prince of Wales. Today, in the modern post colonial era, she looks like she'll need more than these to control the city traffic.

02/09/2022

Rain or Shine, Bengaluru stands through it all. Glad to take this Bangalorean family through the streets of old city that we call as Pete or simply, city.

19/08/2022

Krishna - the dark skinned God, musically inclined, an astute warrior and a good friend. Today, on his birthday, posting the photos of Melukote temple, where he is known as Cheluva - the beautiful one.

07/07/2022

In 1400s, in Devaraya's time, the main street of the old Hampi city was planned. The wide street with commercial and residential areas that lead from Virupaksha temple to Matanga hill still stands. One can admire that precise planning with absolutely no encroachments to the street. This inspite of it being busy, commercial and having wealthy residents who would have owned many horses and palanquins