There are many points for a one
day road trips from
Hyderabad that can be enjoyed.Being an Engineer and a nature lover, I decided to
visit Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
in District Nalgonda and Ethipothala Waterfalls. Nagarjuna Sagar is one of the
largest masonry dams in the world and supplies water and electricity to
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Well
that final Sunday came; let the adventure to find some space
for ourselves. We
started around 8:00 am in
the morning from Hyderabad and reached there by 12:30 pm, driving slowly and
enjoying the scenery on the way, stopping at places taking pictures and a cup
of cutting teas. However, roads of AP
are good, that is what I realized in this trip. Even this interior road, where
both side it was shrubs for long way. Rest is the story, how
we chalked a route for the trip.
The
total distance between Hyderabad and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is about 180 KM and
can be covered easily in 4-5 hours depending on traffic conditions. Unfortunately,
there are not many choices to stay and foodings around Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. We
entered in APTDC Haritha Vijay Vihar resort campus, to refresh and stayed there
about half an hour. Behind the reception was a breathtaking
view of the huge lake formed due to the dam. Serene, peaceful, extremely quiet.
It
has huge lawns, playing area, gym, pool etc, and on first looks appears a great
place to stay.The amazing sunrise and sunset from the hotel with the
reflections in water and fog slowly rising to make the view mysterious, can be
enjoyed. We were short of time to watch this amazing sun rise and sun set.I
noticed and clicked pictures of some Green Bee-eaters, Sunbirds, and Indian Silverbills right in the garden of the hotel.
The mighty dam was completed in the
year 1969 and has a majestic height of 124 meters. It is 1 km long, and has 26
crest gates. The dam can store upto 11, 472 million cubic meters of water in
the reservoir.
The project commenced in February 1956
and after a brief gap, due to lack of modern equipment it was constructed with
stone rather than concrete. The dam was completed fully in 1972 once the crest
gates were installed.
The
dam has two canals, the left and right canals that supply water from the
reservoir. The dam is also one of the earliest projects built in post
independence India for irrigation and hydro-electricity generation. Exclusively
for the purpose of tourism, a lake developed behind the dam, which boasts of
its status as the third largest man-made lake anywhere in the world.
Ethipothala
Waterfalls
Waterfalls
are synonymous with Liril Girl Karen Lunel, who changed the way we take a bath
under the waterfalls or dream about it.For decades, people have associated with
the iconic advertisement Liril soap with a fresh-looking, lively bikini-clad
girl under a waterfall. Even the tune “laa-la la la laa’ became a familiar ring
with viewers of that period.Unusual as it is to hear of waterfalls named after
soaps.
Ethipothala Waterfalls is
not such glamorous .Actually it is very tough to take a bath under a waterfall
with all the algae, leeches, slippery and sharp rocks and a thousand bystanders
watching you. Ethipothala Waterfall is a great place for mild trekking and
camping along with refreshing nature sightseeing.
After spending some time watching the serene beauty of River Krishna
and game of water birds, sky left behind by the sun, we embarked on our next
destination, at a distance of 14 km from Nagarjuna Sagar,
Ethipothala waterfalls. The striking falls on River Chandravanka (a tributary
of River Krishna), towards the down flow of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.It is one of
the prime places to visit in Nagarjuna Sagar and also one of the top Tourist
places in Telangana.
Ethipothala
waterfall is formed by the mountain stream which falls from a height of
approximately 70 feet into a lagoon. Three streams namely Nakka Vagu, Tummala
Vagu and Chandravanka Vagu combine to form this waterfall. The name Ethipothala
has been derived from the Sanskrit word 'Etitaposthal' meaning the place for
penance.
It is believed that saints have
performed rigorous penance at this place. The caves nearby also attest their
presence at this place. The melody of waterfalls did ring in
our ears.There were lot of monkeys to
disturb, so be sure you do not carry food items carelessly in your hand.
Now
it was time to return back, the Sun was shining low on sky line. While
returning Hyderabad, We stopped on road by side of Nagarjuna
Sagar dam, to get a perfect view of the river Krishna flowing below us and
various types of birds playing their own games in the water.
We could see the
circular coracle boats used by fisherman from a distance as the evening
approached fast.As expected the afterglow post the
sunset showed us wonderful hues of color leaving us spellbound. After
spending some time watching the sky left behind by the sun, we embarked on our
destination back.
However we have
experienced nature has its ways of helping you out often when you travel or
probably life in general. During the return we were awestruck by the sunset
happening right in front of the road hiding beyond the horizon till we reach
further towards it only to see it hide again.
The return journey was tiring; taking
couple of breaks on the way back with cutting tea and potato chips mainly to
remove the fatigue that comes along a long road trip.Entered in Hyderabad at
9.30pm.It was too late to cook dinner at home, so we took packed Biryani from a
hotel. Here it ends; one
Day Road Trip to Nagarjuna Sagar Dam and Ethipothala Waterfalls from
Hyderabad.My camera was full of memories.
We reached back
little late but were pretty satisfied with our road trip.All in all, a great
road trip, and some good clicks, what else do you need?
