A very very long time ago, when Garuda fell after having been fatally injured by Ravana, SriRam saw the wounded bird and said "le pakshi" which means 'Rise Bird' and this is what gives this place its name. It took us to almost 1-11/2 hrs to reach Lepakshi. Just before you reach the temple, as you enter the tiny village,you are greeted by the huge statue of Nandi the Bull. It is a magnificent piece. The temple is a short drive away. It is said the Nandi faces the temple and stands as a guard to the temple. Keeping the statue to your left,if you stand at a certain point,you can see the tip of the temple. ancient architecture fascinates me. These small wonders and tiny nuggets of information make a place more interesting. For example, the temple of Le pakshi is famous for its Hanging Pillar. There is a certain Pillar which does not touch the floor. Also,the temple is an architectural marvel. The carvings, the sculptures and the murals take your breath away. It is a nice day long trip. If you decide to go there, please carry your own food. There is only one place to eat. It is the KTDC hotel right in front of the Nandi statue and they only serve meals (vegetarian and nonvegetarian). On your way back, you can have dinner at the Indian Paratha Company, situated right outside bangalore just after the turn for Nandi hills.
Situated at around 30-35 km from Port Blair is a beautiful,sandy,shallow beach called Collinpur. Since its situated a little away from the city, the beach is cleaner and quieter. Its covered by dense vegetation and you wont know that you're near the sea until you actually see it. Its a long stretch flanked by a hill on one side and since the gradient is not steep,its ideal for swimming and sunbathing. The main attraction for me was however, another beach called Kurma Dera. This beach is situated a little farther from Collinpur and is more deserted and quieter. The car couldn't go upto the beach and we had to walk nearly 2-2.5 km to reach the beach. The walk was through a very muddy and slushy path along a creek andd I expected to see a crocodile pop out any second. In fact, the second time we went to these beaches, we heard of crocodile attacks on the same day corresponding to our visit. Kurma means shells and I found the most amazing shells on this beach. And what surprise
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