One Day Outing from Hyderabad: Trek-like Adventure

Hiking through the terrain, fourteen guys made the silent realm of nature, a heart-thrilling party house. With upbeat Punjabi music accompanying us, we climbed through the rugged terrain and reached the top. The sound of the flowing water, the golden rays of dawn, the first cacophony of the birds did hit the core of our hearts and we immersed ourselves in the sudden-born photography interest.

We explored every nook and corner of the place and later, resorted to photography and snacking on the munchies we brought from home. It was really a sight to witness boys in their twenties jumping around like kids, enjoying the place to the fullest. It was the end of winter and the flow was feeble but it was enough to captivate the surreal realm of the place forever in our adventure-thirsty hearts.

The sun had come up by then. It was 7 in our watches and we decided to stay a little more to absorb the beauty and quietness of the place, unlike the city's hustle-bustle.

With the clock striking eight and not wanting to go back, we decided to venture further. Having no internet connectivity around the place, the only name that came across our minds was Nagarjunasagar Dam. We hiked down to the parking spot, visited the temple and took a look at our maps. The dam wasn't very far away. A journey of 108km can be easily covered in 2.5 hours and we didn't want to miss out on the fun part. So we decided to give it a shot!

The route to the dam was to travel again till Mall village, turn left and continue on SH19. One needs to be careful at the 4-point intersection at Malepally village and pick the straight path towards the dam. After a quick breakfast of poori-sabzi and dosa-sambhar at a roadside dhaba, we vowed not to stop till we reach the dam!

From Vijaypuri village we took a right to reach the earthen dam and the entrance to the main dam. However, on reaching we found that only dam officials and their relatives are allowed on the dam and inside the power house. Cursing the guards we reversed our vehicle and headed towards the viewpoint. A few metres before the approach to the Krishna bridge, we took a right turn towards the . The dam and river forms a natural boundary between two states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The concrete and masonry dam was breathtaking. The dam was simply huge! It is the largest masonry dam in the world. The dam measures a spectacular height of 150m from the river bed and is 1.6km long.

We halted near the old Krishna bridge and decided to take a stroll till the Power House gate. As expected we were not allowed inside.

Resting under the shade and relaxing our bodies, we absorbed the beauty of this architectural wonder, which was opened to public in 1967. Spending a subtle time of around half an hour and the clock nearing eleven, we decided to move back.Less than 2km from the dam we were attracted by a huge gate, welcoming us to the "Buddhavanam".

Completely unaware of such a tourist spot, we decided to take a look. We parked our car and went inside. There were no entry fees and we were welcomed by silence and few couples strolling in the lawns. The gardens and lawns were intricately designed on the life cycle of Gautama Buddha and in the centre was a huge stupa. The design of the stupa was quite charming and brought with itself a sense of peace and tranquility.

The "Buddhavanam" is a project of TSTDC to relive the ancient past related to Buddhism in the area. Before the dam was constructed, there existed a village named Nagarjunakonda, which was the capital of ancient Ikshvaku and Satavahana Kingdoms and was a centre of Buddhist concentration. The project endeavours to bring back the bygone era and attract Buddhist as well as international tourists and pilgrims. Once fully constructed, the area will look heavenly.

The walls were carefully designed depicting various tales and traditions of Buddhism and the life of Gautama Buddha.

We went inside the stupa only to find our stance being charmed by the design of the interior and the elegance of gold covered quadridirectional facing Buddha idol. There were Buddhist prayers going on and the chants of "OM-MANI-PAE-MAE-HUN" were appealing and reaching out to our souls.

We spent about an hour visiting various stone sculptures and flexboards depicting various aspects of Buddhism. The place indeed was serene and I, personally, believe that its aura won't be contained once fully built.

Taking in as much as it could and the clock striking 1, we decided to move back. It was not enough for our souls but we didn't have much time to spare. We glided down the highway back to Hyderabad and had entered the main city by 3:30pm. Halting for a sumptuous lunch at a nearby restaurant, we deposited our Zoomcar back to the dealer and were home by 5pm.

To conclude, the journey was recorded to be 340km and it was a pleasant getaway from the monotonicity of the city schedule. The Bugga waterfalls gave us a lucid trek-like adventure, it's best when visited after the rains when the flow of water is much more. While Nagarjunasagar dam gave us one of the best views of an engineering marvel, "Buddhavanam" took us for a travel back in time and offered peace and tranquility. To sum it all up, it was a well spent Sunday!

The whole squad posing for a photograph on the Highway(I'm wearing Black T-Shirt and Wayfarers)

Cost and details:1. Zoomcar-7 seater (Datsun Redigo +): Rs 25002. Fuel (Petrol @ 108/L): Rs 30003. Breakfast (for 14 people): Rs 10004. Lunch (for 7 people): Rs 15005. Parking: Rs 20

Distances:1. Secunderabad Jn to Bugga waterfalls: 76km2. Bugga waterfalls trek: 3km round trip3. Bugga Waterfalls to Nagarjunasagar Dam: 104km4. Nagarjunasagar Dam to Buddhavanam: 10km 5. Buddhavanam to Secunderabad Jn: 150km

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