https://www.teamgsquare.com/2011/02/hariharapura.html
The Jewels of KWLS
KWLS
is home to a variety of insects, mushrooms and other small creatures.
It is an ideal environment for the creatures to thrive. There were many
such, which we were able to see though most were beyond our
identification skills (i.e., exact names ) .
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| Tortoise |
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| Frog |
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| Green Dragon |
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| Blue Dragon |
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| Spider |
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| Long Legged Spider |
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| Checkered Beetle |
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| Leaf Beetle |
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| Blow Fly |
|
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| Grass Hopper |
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| Millipede |
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| Moth |
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| Stink Bugs |
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| Praying Mantis |
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| Caterpillar |
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| Pupa |
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| Wild Flower |
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| Wild Grass Flower |
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| Agaricus |
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| Mushrooms |
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| Mushroom |
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| Orange mushroom |
|
Altogether, a wonderful place to spend exploring the vast areas of the
forests on foot .We would like to thank the D.F.O for providing us an
opportunity to explore this place and giving us assistance during our
stay. This place attracts very few tourists since there are no organized
tours/safaris. Special thanks to our guides (elephant trackers/guards)
who were very cooperative all along.
Pre-Historic Cave Paintings of Anegundi Near Hampi
That Sunday morning, we were confused whether to go to Hampi
or Anegundi since we had only half a day at our disposal and the long
distance between our resort and Hampi was also a factor . So,we decided
to explore Anegundi . On driving towards Anegundi ,one milestone made
us very curious as it read Cave paintings and directions for the same
were given . We traveled in the direction given but failed to locate the
place. We came back to the main road from where we had taken the
deviation . We inquired about the cave paintings to a local shop keeper .
He kindly obliged and arranged us an auto driver as our guide to this
place .
On reaching this place, we realised it would be impossible to
find it without a local guide. But, looking at the place we wondered
where the caves were because all we could see were paddy fields on
boulders. We walked through the paddy fields and reached the gate which
was locked. On seeing us, the guard who had the keys came by to open
the gate for us. We thought the government was in charge of this place
but later on inquiring we came to know it was owned by a private party .
After entering the gate. we walked a long path which had turned
into marsh due to the continuous downpours . Finally both our guide
and guard showed us the paintings and they were unbelievable. Mainly,
it had paintings of various animals the pre historic men saw , the
hunting scenes , and of men and women.
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| Paintings No.1 |
The above painting probably describes a hunting seen and shows the
pre historic men used a bow and arrow type weaponry and rode on animals
like horses for hunting.
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| Painting No.2 |
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| Painting No.2 |
Careful observation of the above painting shows that it is of a
man. The most interesting part of this painting is probably the place
where it is painted. We wondered how they painted at such a height (
almost 15ft high from the ground, second pic is indicates the height).
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| Painting No.3 |
This Painting contains a large number of animals and various scenes of hunting .
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| Painting No.4 |
This is a painting of a huge snake and the largest of all paintings we saw here .
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| Painting No.5 |
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The above painting contains a crab/scorpion and a dog like animal .
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| Painting No.6- Our Favorite One |
This is the painting of a bird carrying three people on its back
and is truly amazing . Few believe that this could have been an
imaginative painting , where as few others believe that the men saw god
flying in this manner .
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| Painting No.7 |
This is probably the most unique painting belonging to this site
which is probably not found anywhere else of this kind. Most of the
other paintings bear a resemblance to various other sites across India .
The initial belief was that this was a "Megalith Burial Site " with dead people at the center. But, a recent article published in the Bangalore Mirror dated Dec 28 2010 ,titled " Prehistoric man drew Maps
" , suggests that this is not megalith burial site but a map depicting
the physical features of the area . The archaeologist T M Keshava and
his team suggests that the paintings were made using red laterite clay
and is almost 4000 yrs old .
This was a wonderful experience for us since we did not expect
such an interesting place during our trip. Though the exact meanings of
the paintings are a real mystery , we can only create meaning to suit
today's world. Why they painted? What it really means? Was it for
communication purposes? There are many more unanswered questions.
Thanks to this place. It really made our trip a memorable one . It took
away all the pains of our journey (
read about it here ).
Finally, we have to thank our kitten for making us rewrite the
whole post again . This post has come out more informative than the
earlier one.
This place requires serious maintenance and urgent work has to be
taken on preserving the precious paintings. Whatever we saw was just a
glimpse of the paintings since a lot more are believed to be present
inside the caves and surrounding hills and are yet to be explored.
This place is located very close to Anegundi in Gangavati . To
visit this place, it is always better to hire a local guide at least for
the first time . Most of the local auto drivers double up as Guides .
There are a lot of places to visit around. A few to name are the
Pampa Sarovar, Anegundi Fort , Anjanadri Hills ,Cave Temple ,Hampi,
Reservoir, and the Durga Fort .
Trip date : 3rd Oct 2009 and 24th April 2010.
Hoysala: Lakshminarayana Temple Hosaholalu, K R Pete
"Hosaholalu", located in K R pet taluk of Mandya, houses a beautiful Hoysala Temple dedicated to Lord 'Lakshminarayana' .It
was built by King Vira Someshwara in the 13th century AD. The local
legend states that, during the construction process of the temple,
glittering gems were found buried under ground and hence the village got
the name Hosa Haralu (Haralu in Kannada means Gems) and as time elapsed
it became popular as "Hosaholalu".
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| Lakshminarayana Temple |
This temple is a Trikuta type i.e, three shrined with a single
central tower. The temple is dedicated to Lord Lakshminarayana , and the
other two shrines contain sculptures of Lakshminarasimha and Venugopala
. These sculptures are a perfect example of Hoyasala art .
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| Lakshminarayana |
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| Lakshminarasimha |
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| Venugopala |
The door frames, pillars and ceilings were heavily carved . On
one of the pillars, there is a carving of a thumb sized monkey sitting
in a majestic pose and drinking 'Elneeru' (tender coconut milk )
referred as "Hebbettu Anjaneya ".
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| Upper Portion of the Door Frame |
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| Door Frame |
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| The Heavily Carved Pillars |
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| Pillar Top |
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| Hebbettu Anjaneya |
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| Ceiling 1 |
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| Ceiling 2 |
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| Ceiling 3 |
The old pillars have been used to construct a mantap in the front
in about 16 th century AD . This gives an odd look to the temple. The
mantap was built with the purpose of storing Vahanas (Vehicles) used
during festivals . The exterior beauty of the temple is an equal match
to the interior beauty . The temple stands facing east on a raised
platform and a poly angled ground plan. The temple has six pattikas
having carvings of Elephants , Horses , Creepers , Puranic tales
,Crocodiles and Swans.
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| Front Porch |
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| Six Pattikas |
To increase the height of the temple, the walls were
constructed in two tiers. The lower tier has sculptures and the upper
tier has small decorated single or double pillars, shikaras. The shikara
of the temple is also heavily carved .
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| Shikara |
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| Two Tiered Wall and the Shikara |
There are many sculptures on the outer walls of the temple
mostly dedicated to various forms of Vishnu and his consort . There is
sculpture depicting the scene of Vasudeva standing in front of donkey
with folded hands probably referring to the proverb " To get one's work
done , one has to prostrate even before a donkey " . This refers to
story when Lord Krishna was born and Vasudeva carried him in the
basket outside the Jail . He saw a donkey braying actually indicating
the god omen. But he didn't wanted the braying sound to awake the jail
guards , so he folded both his hand and prayed to the donkey and
silenced it .
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| Vasudeva and the Donkey |
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| Samudra Manthana |
The Keys of the temple remain with the priest . Though the
priest was unfriendly, he obliged to come and open the temple door. The
temple is nicely maintained by the ASI. No entry fees as of now.
Directions from Bangalore - Bangalore - Mysore road - B.R.Koppal - Right turn - Pandavapura - K R Pete - Left turn - Hosaholalu
Distance from Bangalore: 140 kms
Trip date: 28 Nov 2010
Places to visit near by : Hariharapura , Akkihebbalu , Varahanatha Kalahalli , Kikkeri ,
Govindanahalli , and many more
References used : Publications of Government of Karnataka on Mandya .
Gummanayakanapalya Kote, Near Bagepalli
"Gummanayakanapalya", is a small village located in Bagepalli
taluk of Chikkaballapur district . This place is home to a lesser known
fort built by a local chieftain with the help of a wealthy farmer Gummi
Reddy. The history of this place is not very well known .The board put
up by the Government of Karnataka Tourism reads " Welcome to the
historical place of the Vijayanagar Kingdom " and gives details of the facilities available here . But none of the facilities exist today .
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| Welcome Board |
This place was on our to-be visited list since a long time.
Finally,when we landed here, the only thought in our minds was how
could such a beautiful place be a lesser known and talked about place.
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| Initial View |
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| Closer View of the Magnificent Fort |
The journey was an amazing one for two reasons - the long bike journey and the pleasant weather all along .
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| NH 7-A Pleasure to Ride |
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| A Beautiful Lake |
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| Smooth as Butter |
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| The Sunny-Shady Road |
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| Lovely ! |
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| Bike Park |
After interacting with a few locals , we started to walk towards
the fort. The entrance to the fort is very grand. On entering the fort ,
we spotted two small temples, one dedicated to Lord Anjaneya and the
other to Lord Ganesha . Proceeding further, we found an other
entrance, which had wonderful carvings on it . It was surprising to see
erotic carvings on the wall .
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| The Main Entrance |
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| Top of the Inner Entrance |
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| Entrance- View from the inside |
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| Lord Anjaneya |
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| Lord Ganesha |
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| Dancing Couple |
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| Carvings on the Wall |
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| Man Fighting a Tiger |
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| Snake Charmer |
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| Erotic Carvings |
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| Use of a Gun |
We also found the remains of a palace, probably built by
an Islamic ruler since it resembled the Indo-Islamic style of
architecture .
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| Remains of the Palace |
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| A Portion of the Palace |
There were many ruined structures on the way to the top of the
fort .The inner tiers of the fort walls are intact . The last (inner
most) tier opens up into a plain land with some ruined structures.
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| The Fort Wall |
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| Temple |
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| Walk to the Top |
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| The Summit |
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| Eternal View from the Top |
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| Truly Breath-taking |
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| Aerial View |
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| Bird's Eye View of Gummanayakanapalya |
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH7 - Right turn - Bagepalli -
Travel about 8 kms - Left turn (there is a sign board )- Travel about
16 kms - Left turn (there is a sign board ) - Travel about 5 kms - Left
turn - Proceed further to reach the village of G N Palya
Ancient Temples of Gummanayakanapalya
Continued from our previous post
Gummanayakanapalya fort....
"Gummanayakanapalya" has
history dating back to the 12 th century AD. Apart from the magnificent
fort , there are a few temples and other ruins spread across the
village. We found three temples in the village dating back to the
Vijayanagar period .
The most beautiful temple here was that of Lord Rama. But is
completely in a bad state with poor maintenance. Upon inquiring with
the locals , we came to know that recently, the temple here was surveyed
as some agencies planned to restore the same. We assumed the agency to
be ASI though not sure. Currently, it is serving as a cattle shed for
the village cows.
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| Lord Rama Temple |
This temple had carvings on the outer wall depicting the stories from "Ramayana".
The pillars were also heavily carved, contained carvings pertaining to
Lord Vishnu, his avatars and consorts. There is no sign of a Shikara.
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| Carvings depicting Stories from Ramayana |
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| Beautiful Carvings |
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| The Decorative Pillar |
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| Pillar Top |
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| Lakshminarashima |
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| Lord Vishnu and his Consorts |
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| Lord Venugopala |
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| Lakshmana, Rama and Sita |
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| Vamanavatar |
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| Lord Saraswathi and the Swan |
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| Trivikrama |
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| Door Frame |
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| Dance Floor |
The next temple we visited was of Lord Venkataramana (Vishnu ).
This temple has undergone continuous renovation. Just opposite to the
temple, there are two pillars and a mantap constructed using huge stone
pillars. This mantap is assumed to be the King's Balance (quite a
Vijayanagar tradition).Unfortunately, this temple was closed. From here
we visited Goddess Lakshmi's temple , which was also closed . But, it is
for sure renovated.
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| King's Balance and the Pillars |
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| Lord Venkataramana Temple |
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| Temple of Goddess Lakshmi |
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| Remains of the Carving |
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| Dwarapalaka |
Finally, on our way back from this place, we spotted a stepped tank which was lovely.
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| Stepped Tank |
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| Final View of G N Kote |
This place requires serious care and maintenance. Altogether, a wonderful place to visit . Locals are quite helpful .
Trip date : 28 Nov 2010
Shree Kalleshwara Temple, Aralaguppe
"Aralaguppe" , is a small forgotten village of Tiptur
Taluk, Tumkur District. Araluguppe is famous for its two temples, namely
Kalleshwara Temple and Chennakeshava Temple. It is also known as the 'Museum of Temples'.
While gathering our usual pre-visit details and information about the
place, we found a document which states about the Mysore Archaeological
reports saying 'there is hardly anything worth comparing the figure
sculpture with it in the entire Mysore state and South India' referring
to the carved ceiling of the Kalleshwara temple. The same is also stated
in the book,'The Guide to the Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent'
by Takeo Kamiya, which is a favorite reference of ours.
After few inquiries about the route to this place, we finally
made it to Araluguppe . An elderly person directed us to the house where
the priest resided. Though the priest was not available, an elderly
person from that house volunteered in showing the temple. The first
sight of the temple gave us an ordinary impression.
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| Kalleshwara Temple Complex |
'Kalleshwara Temple' was built by the Nolamba kings during 9th
century AD. There are four other temples in this complex which belong to
Ganga dynasty. All the temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form
of a Linga. The doorway of the main temple has a nice carving of
Gajalakshmi on the lintel and a row of dwarfs on the pediment.
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| Lintel |
The most important part of the temple is its central
ceiling consisting of nine intricately carved panels with a magnificent
carving of Tandaveshwara at the center and surrounded by the
Ashtadikpalas
(click to read more). Another unique feature of this ceiling is the
flying Gandharvas, four in number at each corner of the Tandaveshwara.
The Flying Gandharvas are a unique feature of the Nolamba
architecture.The heavily carved ceiling is a masterpiece and truly out
of this world.
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| Carved Central Ceiling |
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| Flying Gandharvas |
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| Tandaveshwara |
There is an idol of Nandi in front of the Linga. There is
also a small temple just opposite to the main temple dedicated to Lord
Uma Maheshwara and two more temples besides the main temple dedicated
to the sons of Lord Shiva, Ganapathi and Subramanya. We were unable to
see the idol of Lord Ganapathi as it was being used by the priest as a
store room of the temple and was locked. Apart from us, there were a few
people from an art school of Tumkur, sketching the temple. The other
four temples in the complex are alike, with Shiva Linga and Nandi in its
front . We could see a collection of Hero stones, deserted mantaps and
an unused dry well.
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| Kalleshwara Temple |
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| Nandi |
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| Lord Surya |
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| Uma Maheshwara |
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| The Mantap |
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| View of theTemple complex |
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| Hero Stone |
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| To-be Ravi Varma's |
This temple is renovated and white washed regularly during Shiva
Ratri. There is lake situated nearby the temple. The temple is neatly
maintained. The elderly person who accompanied us was knowledgeable and
seemed very humble.
Hoysala: Chennakeshava Temple, Aralaguppe, Tumkur
***Continued from our previous post of
Aralaguppe
The other temple in the region was of Lord Chennakeshava. This is another excellent example of the Hoysala architecture.
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| Chennakeshava Temple |
This temple is an Ekakuta type, housed on a raised star shaped
poly angled platform. At every angle, there is an intricately carved
elephant. As usual the temple has six pattikas, with carvings of
Elephants, Horses, Creepers , Puranic tales ,Crocodiles and Swans,
counting from bottom to the top. The outer wall has amazing carvings of
Lord Vishnu and his consorts and various other forms of Vishnu.
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| The Six Pattikas |
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| Elephant at every Angle |
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| Cheluvanarayana Swamy |
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| Various forms of Vishnu and his Consorts |
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| Anantha Padmanabha |
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| Kalinga Mardhana (Krishna) |
On the south side of the temple, attached is the Lord
Ugranarasimha temple. This part of the temple looked like a later
addition to the main temple.The addition gives an awkward look to the
main temple. An article printed in the Deccan Herald states that,'Though
Mysore archaeological report 1935, talks of removing this obstruction
and building a separate temple for Narasimha, perhaps due to the
unwillingness of the local villagers the project has remained on paper
only'.
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| Entrance to the Ugranarasimha Temple |
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| South View of the Temple |
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| Old Board giving info on this place |
The temple is being maintained by the ASI. There is a permanent
guard to take care of this temple. The temple interior is grand with
intricately carved pillars, door frames and sculptures of god .
Directions from Bangalore : Bangalore - NH4 - Tumkur - NH 206- Gubbi
- K B Halli Cross - Kibbanahalli - Left turn after Kibbanahalli -
Travel about 8 kms - Aralaguppe
Distance from Bangalore : 120 kms
Trip date : 19th Sept, 2010
A trek to Nagamalai, Male Mahadeshwara betta
"Nagamalai" is a one of the many hills of the Male
Mahadeshwara Betta (M M hills) range . Nagamalai and surrounding areas
served home to the sandalwood bandit Veerappan some time back. After his
death, these areas are safe to visit. This place is considered sacred,
since here, the rock resembles a shiva linga sheltered from the sun rays
under the hood of a snake. This rock is said to be of Lord
Mahadevaswamy doing his penance. A snake opened its hood and stood
behind the Lord in order to protect him from the sun light. Over time,
both of them turned into rocks.
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| Nagamalai |
On Saturday evening., we decided to go to M M hills. We called a
friend of ours who stays close by to Kolegal and inquired about the
place. On Sunday morning, after visiting his farms, we headed towards M M
hills (about 60 kms from Hannur).Around 10 am , we reached M M hills.
After visiting the famous temple of Lord Mahadeshwara, we headed towards
the Papanasini lake.Then we asked him what are the other places to
visit around . He said that there are five peaks with a temple in each
of the peaks and the peaks had unique rock formations, like the
Nagamalai (Snake shaped rock ), Rudraskshimalai (Bachelor's button
(flower) shaped rock) , etc .
Nagamalai is the closest from MM Hills which can be reached
after a trek of about 7 kms. After some discussion, we jumped into a
jeep going towards to Nagamalai. After travelling about 5 kms, we
reached the start place of the trek. Since many were visiting this
scared place, we had company. We started our trek and had to cross 6 to 7
hills to reach Nagamalai. The scenery throughout our trek was
beautiful.
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| Initial Trek Path |
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| The Lovely Landscape |
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| Terrace Cultivation |
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| Magnificent View |
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| View of the Cauvery Basin |
After walking for about 6 kms, we reached a village . This
supposedly is the last village we come across on the way to Nagamalai.
The food has to be ordered here while trekking up and we did the same.
Heading towards our destination, we finally made it to the temple after
having trekked 7 kms.
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| The Village and the Hills |
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| Home Sweet Home |
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| Trishula near the Temple |
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| View from the Top |
After enjoying the amazing views, we decided to rest for some time.
We started our descent and reached the village where we had ordered
lunch. We had to wait for some time for the food to be served. After the
very much needed lunch, we headed back to the starting point of the
trek. A shepherd boy cautioned us about elephants crossing over. They
had spotted some. We were excited about the chances of spotting an
elephant. Unfortunately, they seemed to have found their way deep into
the forest. From the start point of the trek we took a jeep back to the
MM Hills.
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| Elephants went this way |
Altogether, a wonderful place to experience trekking amidst the
deciduous forest. Though the trek is an easy one, one's stamina is
tested for sure. There is well laid path all along. It is advisable to
carry drinking water. Food has to be pre-ordered or carried. The
Karnataka Forest Dept. arranges for treks to various hills in the MM
range(Mystery Trails).
Directions from Bangalore : Bangalore- Maddur - Kolegal - Hannur - MM hills
Distance from Bangalore: 225 kms
Places around to visit : Hogenakkal Falls , Bandallidurga Fort , various peaks for trekking
Trip date : 12 ,13 Sept 2009
Devaragundi Waterfalls, Thodikana, Sullia
"Thodikana" is a small village of Sullia Taluk, Dakshina
Kannada District. This place is famous for its Mallikarjuna Swamy
Temple. The name Thodikana comes from two words, 'thodu' meaning stream and 'kana' meaning forest. The Stream flowing here is Matsyathirtha (a tributary of river Payaswini ). There are two interesting spots near this temple namely, 'Meenagundi' (Pond of fishes) and 'Devaragundi' (God's pond) .
Meenagundi has a shoal of fishes at a particular point. These fish
are considered to be sacred and never killed, but fed by the temple
authorities and locals who visit this temple. The temple is just like
any other temple of the region. On the outer wall of temple are
paintings depicting the story related to the temple. There is Yajna
Khund (a pit where fire is lit and offerings made for the gods )
believed to be used by Sage Kanva. Even today, one can see the smoke
coming out of it. Even we were shocked to see this.
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| Meenagundi |
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| Shoal of Fishes |
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| The Temple |
Though we had visited this place several times, we had only heard
about Devaragundi but never been to this place, which is about 2.3 kms
from the temple ( there is a small board directing towards the same). We
came to know about Devaragundi water falls from the BBMP wall
paintings. This time, we were sure to visit this place during the
monsoons and so it happened.
Due to the heavy rains, the approach road to the falls was not
motorable except for 4 wheel drives. Hence, we decided to trek the
distance. There is a forest check post on the way. The final part of
trek took us in to a private arecanut farm. This is the place where the
Shiva linga was found and is currently worshiped inside the temple. The
water from here is used for special abhishekas in the temple. The
waterfalls was ferocious, due to heavy rains. What a sight it was!
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| Amazing View |
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| Monsoon Magic |
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| Road to the Temple |
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| Kids playing near the stream |
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| Stream |
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| Devaragundi Falls |
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| A Closer Look |
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| Ferocious Falls |
The Anna prasadam (meals) are served at the temple after the noon
puja. This place is located off the Madkeri -Sullia state highway
(about 8 kms from the highway).
Critters of Thodikana
The trek to
Devaragundi waterfalls
gave us a wonderful opportunity to sight various magnificent life
forms. Most of these are endemic to this region (western ghats) .
Butterflies are always the most interesting and colorful creatures to spot. Though we have spotted
Malabar Banded Peacock
many times , this was the first time it posed for us, though for a few
seconds. Usually its a very busy butterfly giving us less opportunity to
capture it .
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| Malabar Banded Peacock |
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| Malabar Banded Peacock (Swallow Tailed) |
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| Common Fourring |
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| Malabar Raven |
Scientific Names of the Butterflies in the above photos :
1 Malabar Banded Peacock :
Papilio buddha (Belongs to family
:Papilionidae) Endemic
2 Common Fourring :
Ypthima huebneri (Belongs to family
:Nymphalids)
3 Malabar Raven :
Papilio dravidarum (Belongs to family
:Papilionidae) Endemic
The various life forms spotted by us :
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| Spirostrepid Millipede |
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| Pill Millipede (Endemic) |
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| Damsel Fly |
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| Green Damsel |
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| Beetle |
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| Moth |
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| Long Legged Flies |
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| Hoppers at Work |
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| Snail |
Lovely place to trek and wonderful waterfalls, looks magical especially during monsoons and post monsoon.
Hoysala Malleshwara Temple, Machalaghatta
"Machalaghatta" is a sleepy village of Nagamangala taluk ,
Mandya District. This place houses a lesser known Malleshwara temple
belonging to the 13th century probably built during the reign of Hoysala
king Someshwara.
With this little information, our search began for this place.
After a lot of inquiries of the route to this place, we drove towards
to Cheenya (located on the Nagamangala -Pandavapura road). After making
it to Cheenya , an elderly person rightly directed us to the
Machalaghatta village. Finally, after a few inquiries we reached the
temple which was situated outside the village. At the first look, we
knew the temple had under gone renovations.
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| Malleshwara Temple |
This soap stone temple doesn't have an appearance like the other
famous Hoysala temples from outside. Though it felt simple compared to
the Hoysala standards, it looked wonderful. The temple was locked and
without a single soul around, we had to head back to the village to find
out the priest's whereabouts. We found out that the priest lived in the
neighboring village(Raghuramapura). We reached the neighboring village
only to find the priest pretty busy with his agricultural work. On
approaching him, he was kind enough to make an alternate arrangement for
us to see the temple. Thanks to him since we were able to see the
temple interiors which turned out to be a Hoysala master piece. The
pillars, ceilings, door frames, lintels and sculptures were all
intricately carved .
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| Outer Ceiling |
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| Central Ceiling |
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| Central Ceiling - Full View |
The central ceiling is an 8 angled star shaped lotus with 3 blocks of
carvings in each angle, the center one depicting the Ashtadikpalas
while the others contained mango leaves, toranas and orchestra.
 |
| Pillar |
 |
| Nandi |
 |
| Door Frame |
 |
| Lintel |
 |
| Lord Malleshwara |
 |
| Lord Ganapathi |
 |
| Sapthamathrikas |
There are some Kannada inscriptions on the outer wall of the temple.
There is also a beautiful sculpture of Lord Bhairava, just opposite to
the entrance of the temple. There is a hero stone by the side of the
temple . and a little farther away from the temple.
 |
| Inscriptions |
 |
| Pillar |
 |
| Lord Bhairava |
 |
| Hero Stone |
 |
| Parvathi Parameshawara |
This is a wonderful place to visit and is very close to the famous
Melukote temple.
The temple was renovated with the help of Mr Hedge (Dharmadhikari of
Dharmastala ). The temple priest's contact numbers are as follows:
9845781822 (Kumar) and 8861962968 (Raju) - Both residents of
Raghuramapura
Directions from Bangalore : Bangalore - SH17- Mandya - Right turn
(towards Melukote) - Jakkanahalli - Right turn (towards Nagamangala)-
Travel about 6 kms - Right turn (there is a small board in Kannada) -
Travel about 2 kms to reach Machalaghatta
Distance from Bangalore : 135 kms
Places to visit around :
Melukote , Nagamangala,
Hosaholalu, Kikkeri,
Govindanahalli, Ranganathittu bird sanctuary and many more .
Trip Date: 26 Jan 2011
Legends of Yana, A trek in Uttara Kannada
"Dreams come true", yes that's what I realised when we
reached this place. I have been dreaming about this place since the day I
came to know about it. Although this trip was not planned, when the
tourism board on NH17 directed us towards Yana, there was a brief
discussion. After a while, we reached the last part of the motorable
road towards Yana. Roads were under construction meaning the trek
distance had reduced ( how sad ).
 |
| The Drive |
 |
| Roads in the Woods |
As we proceeded, we came across a few houses and small streams. At
the start point, there was not a single soul to guide us expect for the
board notifying this is forest area and stated a statutory warning. Our
walk began and we crossed few small streams, beautifully colored
butterflies and various other forms of life. We did not realize the
distance we had trekked since the surroundings were so beautiful and
beyond imagination. Lost in the woods, we had also forgotten about not
having had our breakfast.
 |
| Stream |
 |
| Cloud |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Mighty Spider |
 |
| Common Jezebel |
About Yana: "Yana" means 'travel' or 'journey' in
Kannada.Yana is one of the a natural wonders of the forests of Western
ghats (Sahyadris) and is also a prominent pilgrimage centre. Yana is
situated in Kumta Taluk , Uttara Kannada District. Yana is famous for
its rock formations (black crystalline lime stone ,whose sides have
roughened due to constant exposure to air ). It is said that there about
61 such different rock formations, among which 2 are very popular and
sacred. The two popular rock formations have been named as 'Bhairaveshwara Shikara' and 'Mohini Shikara'.
Mohini Shikara is about 90 meters tall and is long, sharp and slender ,
whereas Bhairaveshwara Shikara is large and broad. There is a natural
cave inside the Bhairaveshwara Shikara, which houses a natural Shiva
Linga called Bhairaveshwara and water drips from the rocks over the
head of the linga, which is described as Gangodbhava .
 |
| About the Place (Sthalapuranam) |
 |
| Mohini Shikara |
 |
| Bhairaveshwara Shikara |
 |
| Nature |
 |
| The Mighty Shikara |
 |
| Entrance to the Temple |
 |
| Statutory Warnings |
 |
| Intricately Carved Venugopala |
Apart from the greenery and rock formations, the legend
associated with this place is quite impressive. The most popular and
accepted legend of Yana however is that of the Bhasamasura (Demon). The
legend says that it was here that the demon acquired a boon from Lord
Shiva that anyone on whose head he places his hand would reduce to
ashes. After securing the boon , he threatened Lord Shiva that he would
place his hand on Shiva's head. He chased Lord Shiva to this place and
to save Shiva, Vishnu appeared as Mohini, an enchanting lady of
marvelous beauty who challenged Bhasamasura to dance as she does if he
wants her to be his own. When he agreed and danced as she did, she
trickily placed her hand on her head, and the demon did the same to be
reduced into a pile of ashes, which is today known as the Mohini and
Bhairaveshwara Shikaras.
 |
| Rock Formations |
This place comes to life during the festival of Maha Shivarathri. During this time, an annual jatra is held here.
Sirsi is the best option for accommodation .
Trip date : Dec 2008
Places to visit around :
Unchalli falls , Sirsi , Kumta , Gokarna , Devi mane Ghat , Vibhoti falls ,Mirjan Fort and Many more .
References Used :A traveler's Guide to "Shri Bhairaveshwara Yana " , a book in Kannada .
Buddhist Chaityalaya , Aihole
Hariharapura
'Hariharapura' is a sleepy village situated in K R Pete taluk,
Mandya district. Hariharapura is an erstwhile town of Hoysala during
the reign of Vishnuvardhan (11 th century AD). The entire village had to
be shifted to the current location due to Hemavathi back water project.
There are two temples in the village built during the
Hoysala period.
We visited Varahanatha Kallahalli, another village with a Hoysala
temple dedicated to Varaha, Lord Vishnu's third avatar (form of Boar).
But the temple has been pulled down for a complete makeover and a
temporary shelter was made for the Lord. It may take about 2 more years
for completion. The sculpture is supposed to be incredible and huge. But
one can still enjoy the back waters of Kannambadi very close by to the
temple. Hereon, we moved towards our destination of
Hosaholalu.
 |
| The Inscriptions |
 |
| Kannambadi Back Waters |
While we were driving towards Hariharapura ,we found a ruined
temple of which we wanted to have a look. The temple was in complete
ruins, There was no maintenance whatsoever. But there was a recently
built temple for Basava (Nandi) close by this ruined temple. We found an
interesting herostone lying near by. We could not gather any more
information about the temple.
 |
| The Temple Entrance |
 |
| The Temple |
 |
| The Hero Stone |
Finally we reached Hariharapura and drove towards the priest's
house. The priest was more than willing to guide us about the temple.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Harihareshwara. The Lord Harihara is a
combination of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. The temple has undergone
continuous renovation under various kings. There are two compartments in
the temple dedicated to Lord Harihara and Lord Eshwara. The sculptures
are intricately carved and the Shiva Linga has the image of Lord
Ganesha's trunk which has to be observed keenly.
 |
| Harihareshwara Temple |
 |
| Front View |
 |
| Lord Ganesha |
 |
| Garbhagriha |
 |
| Mantapa |
 |
| Shiva Linga and Nandi |
 |
| Lord Harihara |
 |
| Note Nandi and Garuda |
 |
| Linga with trunk |
 |
| Decorative |
From here, the priest took us to another temple dedicated to
Chennakeshava. The Lord Chennakeshava is the family god of the Hoysalas.
This temple is also in a ruined state with absolutely no maintenance.
The idol of the temple has been shifted to another location and a new
temple has been constructed. The interior is quite a Hoysala
masterpiece.
 |
| The Shikara |
 |
| Entrance |
 |
| The Pillar |
 |
| Empty Garbhagriha |
 |
| Decorative Door Frame |
 |
| Mantapa |
 |
| Chennakeshava Temple |
This place requires serious attention and maintenance. While visiting, this place can be clubbed with
Hosaholalu . The Temple priest lives in the same village and is quite friendly and helpful.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - SH1 7- B R Koppala - Right turn
- Pandavapura - K.R Pete - Left turn - Travel about 8 kms -
Hariharapura.
Distance from Bangalore : About 135 kms
Trip date: 28 Nov 2010
Places to visit around : K R Pete, Pandavapura, Tonnur Kere,
Melukote, Nagamangala,
Hosaholalu, Kikkeri,
Govindanahalli and many more.
Harvest, Save Rain Water
The following video explains about the importance and necessity of
saving rain water. Imagine when such practices are prevalent and
followed in desert regions, why can't we at least try the same in other
places.
Video Courtesy : You tube and
Ted.com .
Further reading about Anupam Mishra :
http://www.ted.com/speakers/anupam_mishra.html
It is not only about harvesting
rain water but also preserving and following our simple traditional
practices. There are so many stepped tanks across our country built
during the reign of various kings. Except a few of these tanks, the
remaining are almost in ruins which is a sad state for all of us because
we have failed in preserving and maintaining whatever was already built
for the good of us.
 |
| Completely Neglected Stepped Tank |
 |
| Beautiful Tank with no Maintenance |
 |
| Tank not in use |
 |
| Clean Tank with usable Water |
The above tanks are
located in 4 different villages out of which the first three villages
have canal system because of which these tanks are neglected. The last
village had the tank cleanly maintained since the canal was far away
from the village and hence this water is being used for drinking.
During an interaction with a village local, on inquiring about why
the tank was not being maintained, he replied saying nobody is
interested in doing so. And he had also taken an initiative in cleaning
up the tank. We were glad to hear him say that. He also told us that the
water stored in the stepped tank was a savior for the cattle and other
purposes during severe drought period (2000-2002) when the canals and
lakes dried up.
Rain water harvesting is not at all a new technique for us. It is an
age old practice which disappeared in the wake of modernization. We
waste so much energy on wrong things rather than preserving and doing
simple things which can prove wonders. Nowadays, lakes in the cities
have become a dump yard for sewage water and other harmful pollutant.
Many lakes have vanished to become layouts, apartments, multiplexes and
other buildings. Some time back, Bangalore had around 400 lakes in and
around. But today, very few are in shape. Bangalore gets around 900+ mm
rainfall (15 times more than the golden desert, Rajasthan) annually,
but water is pumped from a distance of about 140 kms from Mysore region
(catering to about 80% needs of Bangalore). Thankfully, now it has
become mandatory to have rain water harvesting system for new buildings
which is a positive action and a good move, but this has become another
avenue for corruption and wrong practices.
Water is precious, hope someday we realize this and take a serious path
towards harvesting rain water. Just maintaining rivers, lakes, ponds,
stepped tanks, wells and other water bodies would do a world of good for
everyone.
Instead of quoting "Water is precious, use it wisely", which we don't seem to really understand, it would be better to re quote the same to "Water is precious, waste it wisely" in today's world. At least then, we hope some change will occur in a positive way.
Shri Chennakeshava Temple, Tandaga
 |
| Sculptor |
As per the legend, after the completion of the temple, as a
practice, all the sculptors took blessings of the Lord in the temple. It
happened so that one of the sculptors turned into a stone after
completing the Chennakeshava Temple in Tandaga. The Gods
were pleased with his dedication towards the construction of the temple
and blessed that he will remain a part of the temple. Wow what a story !
We were surprised to hear this story as a lot of questions cropped up
in our minds seeing the very unusual sculpture of a man bowing in
reverence before the lord right at temple entrance.
 |
| Oath Stone |
There is an oath stone at the entrance which is believed to have
immense power. Though the oath stone was frequently used in the olden
days, people now fear doing the same realizing its true power. A few
years ago, there was an arrogant person in the village who had done some
wrong which the whole village was aware of and the man denied of his
wrongdoings taking an oath on this stone. Gradually over time, his
health deteriorated and wealth diminished. Situations forced him to move
out of the village and since then nobody in the village dare to take
an oath here. This is a true story told by a person who has witnessed
the same.
 |
| Chennakeshava Temple |
"Tandaga" is located in Turuvekere taluk, Tumkur district. Very few people are aware of the Chennakeshava temple built here by the
Hoysalas
in the12 th century AD. The temple seems very simple in its external
features but is very rich in its interiors. It is basically an Ekakuta
temple, housing a beautiful idol of Chennakeshava. The idol is very
admirable and wonderful. There are nine different types of ceilings in
the main hall. The door frames and pillars are extensively carved.
 |
| Entrance to the Temple |
 |
| Carving of Gajalakshmi on the Lintel |
 |
| Lord Chennakeshava |
 |
| Garbhagriha |
 |
| Door Frames |
 |
| Pattern on the Door Frames |
 |
| Pillar |
 |
| Ceiling1 |
 |
| Ceiling 2 |
 |
| Ceiling 3 |
 |
| Exterior Ceiling |
 |
| Kalyana Mantapa |
 |
| Side Wall of the Temple |
 |
| Amazing Carvings on the Shikara |
 |
| Statue of Lord Chennakeshava |
 |
| Garuda Pillar |
The priest lives near by the temple. There is a Malleshwara temple in
the village which is older than the Chennakeshava temple though it
looked completely renovated. Unfortunately, this temple was locked and
the priest was unavailable.
Directions from Bangalore : Bangalore - NH48 - Kunigal - Yediyur
- Right turn - Mayasandra - Turuvekere - Left turn towards Nonavinkere
- about 7 kms Doddaghatta - left turn - about 5 kms- Tandaga
Distance from Bangalore : 125 kms
Places to visit around :
Nagalapura,
Hulikal, Nonavinkere, Vignasanthe, Turuvekere and many more .
Trip date : Feb 27' 2011
Chola Temple of Binnamangala
'Binnamangala' is located in the outskirts of Nelamangala and Bangalore. It has a lesser known
Chola temple dedicated to
Lord Mukthanatheshwara
(Shiva). This temple is believed to be built by Raja Rajendra Chola in
the 10 th century AD. This wonderful ancient temple was recently
renovated by the ASI with the help of the locals and the deity is being
worshiped since then. As some parts of the temple were badly damaged ,
they had to be replaced by new stones and the work is no match to the
original work.
 |
| Mukthanatheshwara Temple |
The temple is of ekakuta type with Dravidian style of
architecture. The outer walls have carvings of forms Lord Shiva and his
family, some of which are unique. The Shikara is completely a new
component. There is an inscription stone (written in Tamil) in front of
the temple giving the information about the temple. There is also a
sculpture of the king Rajendra Chola besides a tall pillar.
 |
| Carvings on the Outer Walls |
 |
| Nataraja (Note the Hair Style) |
 |
| Lord Ganesha |
 |
| Lord Shiva |
 |
| Lord Shiva |
 |
| Elephant Carving at the Corners |
 |
| Inscription Stone |
 |
| Rajendra Chola |
 |
| Pillar |
 |
| Friezes with Animal Carvings |
The temple houses a Shiva Linga with a Nandi in the front of it. The
pillars are extensively carved, setting an excellent example of the
Chola architecture. The door frames are also beautifully decorated. A
wonderful carving of the
Ashtadikpalas can be seen on its ceiling.
 |
| Extensively Carved Pillar |
 |
| Closer Look |
 |
| Pillar Capital |
 |
| People Worshiping |
 |
| Door Frame |
 |
| Ceiling Carving |
This temple was open when we visited as it was the eve of Sankranthi
(Festival of Harvest). Since the temple's priest was unavailable, we did
not get any further information regarding the temple's history.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH4 - Take right turn towards Nelamangala - Immediately take a right turn towards the temple.
Distance from the Bangalore: 35 kms
Place to visit Around: Nelamangala,
Manne,
Shivagange,
Nijagal Fort and many more.
Trip Date: 14 Jan' 2010
Ravana Phadi Cave Temple, Aihole
"Ravana Phadi" is the most interesting rock cut cave shrine in
Aihole.
This rock cut cave shrine belongs to the 6th century AD. The cave
consists of a hall with two pillars in the front and an antechamber
behind. On either side of the hall are two chambers containing beautiful
life size sculptures.
 |
| Ravana Phadi Cave Shrine |
It was late evening when we were walking back to our shelter after
exploring Aihole. This cave from far looked very intriguing and since it
was already dark and we had no energy left in us we were in doubt
whether or not to find out what's in this cave. We met a person walking
in the opposite direction to us and on inquiring he felt sorry for us
telling the cave might be closed at this time but it is very beautiful
inside. As a matter of chance, looking back and seeing the gate keeper
just about to lock the gate to the cave he told us to rush over and
shouted loud to the keeper making him aware of our presence and wanting
to see the cave. Luckily, the gate keeper cheerfully waved at us
(meaning we are welcomed) and there we were, as though destined to see
this place. Though we were very tired, our efforts were worth while and
for sure, this turned out to be one of the most beautiful cave temples
we had ever seen.
 |
| Shiva Linga |
The inner sanctum houses a Shiva Linga. There are many life size
carvings of Lord Shiva in his various forms. The most beautiful of
them all is the ten armed Shiva in a dancing posture and to his left is
a small figure standing, which we thought could be of Lord Shanmuga
(Shiva's Son). Next to him stands Goddess Parvathi and on the right
side of Lord Shiva is an interesting short figure of Lord Ganapathi
engaged with his favorite food , 'the modakas'.
 |
| Ten Armed Dancing Shiva and his Family |
The other side of the hall has figures of 'Harihara - the combined
form of Lords Vishnu and Shiva'. There is a wonderful carving on the
ceiling. The small vacant room on the side of Sanctum could have been
the kitchen. The drainage system also seemed to have been well developed
inside the cave. Carvings of many dwarf musicians are also seen on the
raised platform.
 |
| Harihara |
 |
| Ceiling Carving |
 |
| Varaha |
 |
| Sage Agasthiyar, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi |
 |
| The Kitchen |
 |
| Dwarf Musicians |
 |
| Another Set of Dwarf Musicians |
 |
| Lord Vishnu with his Consorts |
 |
| Water Drainage System |
'The ASI has done a fair job in restoration of this place though they
can never the match the original work. But that's not their mistake
either, we have to blame our ancestors for building so complicatedly'
says the watchman with an ironic smile on his face. Our ancestors were
the true geniuses in every aspect of life.
 |
| The Pillars - Old and New Look |
Places to visit around Bangalore/ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು/ Bengaluru - Anniversary Post
It is time to celebrate! The journey of Team G Square's blog for the
last one year has been successful and we are extremely delighted. We
started to blog with our major objective being able" to compile places
we have visited in and around Bangalore". And we are happy to know that
since the time we have put our best foot forward in this direction,
apart from having shared knowledge, we have also learned much from it
and continue to do so. We celebrate by sharing our anniversary post
which is a brief compilation featuring places to visit around Bangalore.
On this occasion, we would like to wholeheartedly thank all our readers, bloggers, supporters and well wishers
for having given us the much needed encouragement and good wishes.We
also thank you for sharing such wonderful posts which help us learn more
about our rich Indian heritage. We are very grateful to all of you. The
places listed below are already presented in detail in our older
posts (Click on the name of the place for more details).
A) Hill Forts:
1 Savanadurga (45 kms)
 |
| Water Pond (Savanadurga Hill) |
2 Nijagal Betta (50 kms)
 |
| Nijagal Fort |
3 Skandagiri (50kms)
 |
| Skandagiri Sunrise |
4 Makalidurga (55kms)
 |
| Makalidurga Fort Entrance |
5 Devarayanadurga (55kms)
 |
| Devarayanadurga |
6 Huthridurga (65kms)
 |
| Rock Cut Steps - Huthridurga Fort |
7 Gudibande (75 kms)
 |
| Gudibande Fort |
8 Varlakonda (80 kms)
 |
| Lord Rama Temple Atop Varlakonda Hill |
9 Kabbaladurga (80 kms)
 |
| Kabbaladurga Fort Ruins |
10 Channarayanadurga (95kms)
 |
| Channarayanadurga |
|
|
11 Gummanayakanapalya (140 kms)
 |
| G N Kote |
B) Hill Temples:
1 Akkayamma Betta (25 kms)
 |
| Goddess Durga inside a ruined Temple on Akkayamma Betta |
2 Narsapura Betta (40kms)
 |
| Agama spotted in Narsapura Betta |
3 Mahimapura (45 kms)
 |
| Beautifully Carved Pillar (Mahimapura Temple) |
4 Aladahalli (50 kms)
 |
| Lord Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Aladahalli |
5 Bilikal Ranganatha Swamy Betta (50 kms)
 |
| Common Jezebel Spotted on Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta |
6 Mandharagiri (55 kms)
 |
| Mandharagiri Hill |
7 Heggunda (60 kms)
 |
| Heggunda Ramdevara Betta |
8 Antaragange (60 kms)
 |
| Antaragange |
9 Hadinakal (110 kms)
 |
| Lord Hanuman Pillar, Hadinakal |
10 Hatyal (115 kms)
 |
| Entrance to Narasimhaswamy Temple, Hatyal |
11 Adichunchanagiri (120 kms)
 |
| Adichunchanagiri Temple |
12 Shravanabelagola (150 kms)
 |
| Lord Gomateshwara, Shravanabelagola |
C) Hoysala Temples:
1 Kaidala (80 kms)
 |
| Chennakeshava Temple, Kaidala |
2 Hosa Budanur (100 kms)
 |
| Kasi Visveswara Temple, Hosa Budanur |
|
|
 |
| Anantha Padmanabha Temple |
3 Aralaguppe (120 kms)
 |
| Ceiling Carving, Kalleshwara Temple, Aralaguppe |
 |
| Chennakeshava Temple, Aralaguppe |
4 Tandaga (125 kms)
 |
| Sculptor, Chennakeshava Temple, Tandaga |
5 Basaralu (130 kms)
 |
| Hoysala Emblem, Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu |
6 Hariharapura (135 kms)
 |
| Ruined Temple, Hariharapura |
7 Machalaghatta (135 kms)
 |
| Nandi, Malleshwara Temple, Machalaghatta |
8 Hosaholalu (140 kms)
 |
| Venugopala Temple, Hosaholalu |
9 Somanathpuram (140 kms)
 |
| Mahisasuramardini, Keshava Temple, Somanathpuram |
D) Water Falls / Dams and Reservoirs:
1 T G Halli reservoir (30 kms)
 |
| Peacock Pansy spotted at T G Halli Reservoir |
2 Manchinbele Dam (40 kms)
 |
| Ashy Prinia spotted near Machinbele Dam |
3 Kanva Reservoir (65 kms)
 |
| Kanva Reservoir |
4 Jaramadagu Waterfalls (70 kms)
 |
| Jaramadagu Falls |
5 Chunchi Falls (75 kms)
 |
| Chunchi Falls |
6 Sangama and Mekedatu (75 kms)
 |
| Sunset, Sangama |
7 Vani Vilas Sagar Dam (140 kms)
 |
| Vani Vilas Sagar Dam |
E) Temples:
1 Binnamangala (35 kms)
 |
| Lord Shiva, Binnamngala |
2 Gulur (80 kms)
 |
| Lord Ganesha, Gulur |
3 Seebi (100 kms)
 |
| Gopura, Narashimaswamy Temple, Seebi |
4 Kurudumale (110 kms)
 |
| Ganesha Temple Complex, Kurudumale |
5 Melukote (140 kms)
 |
| Kalyani and Yoga Narashima Temple, Melukote |
F) Parks :
1 Bannerghatta National Park (25 kms)
 |
| Red Eared Turtle, Banneraghatta National Park |
2 Ramohalli (30 kms)
 |
| Black Shouldered Kite spotted near Ramohalli |
3 Innovative Film City (35 kms)
 |
| Innovative Film City |
4 Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (125 kms)
 |
| Black Headed Ibis Family, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary |
5 Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary(130 kms)
 |
| KWLS |
6 Horsely Hills (140 kms)
 |
| Jacaranda Avenue, Horsely Hills |
 |
| Dancing Peacock, Horsely Hills |
We feel that our travel experience is only 'a drop in the ocean' and there is much more to see and explore. A life time may not be enough! Nature
is vast, beautiful and is the most unselfish. It reminds us of the
quote "the best things in life are free and worth every penny". Nature
has been very kind to man and it is our duty to conserve and preserve
the same. If not, we're afraid that the beauty it holds can be lost
forever. Nature commands respect after all. The signboard below
rightfully says it all I guess.
 |
| True. Isn't it? |
Related Posts:
Fort Midigeshi, Tumkur
'Midigeshi' is a village located on the Tumkur-Pavagadh
state highway. There is a lesser known hill top fort nearby this
village. The fort is believed to have been built by a local Chieftain
named Nagareddi and the fort itself was named by him after his wife Midigeshi,
who was called so because she had hair (kesha) long enough that
reached her heel (midi). This place was ruled by queens of the same
family for a long time.
Chikkappa Gauda (
Madhugiri's Chieftain) conquered this place after he was driven out from
Madhugiri and
Channarayanadurga.
Later, this place was captured by Haider Ali, then by the Marthas,
again by Haider Ali 's son Tippu and finally by the British troops under
Lord Cornwallis who later abandoned it. According to the legend, a
beautiful princess named Chikka Mallamma was kidnapped by the Muslim
rulers and kept in the hill fort. When she prayed to god for her
release, the rock split making a path for her descent and later she
entered the fire in front of Lord Malleshwara.
 |
| First View of the Hill Top Fort |
 |
| Midigeshi Fort |
Reaching this village was relatively easy as it is located on the state
highway. After entering the village, we inquired about the route for
ascent. We started our climb hoping to make it to the top before the
temperature went up. This fort, like many other forts around the area is
seven tiered. The major part of the fortification now is in ruins. The
initial climb was very easy until we reached the second gate. Here, we
had to overcome a steep slope which was the most exciting part of our
climb. After crossing the third gate, we came across a fleet of rock cut
steps and thereafter the climb was easy.
 |
| Initial Climb |
 |
| First Gate |
 |
| Second Gate |
 |
| Well Laid Steps |
 |
| Cactus |
 |
| Steep Climb |
 |
| Third Gate |
 |
| Fleet of Rock Cut Steps |
 |
| Closer Look of Rock Cut Steps |
 |
| View Downhill |
After crossing the sixth gate, we reached leveled ground. The first
thing that caught our attention was a water pond which was probably
their main source of water. There were narrow canals leading to the pond
which were carefully designed so as to collect most of the rain water
and increase the level of water in the pond. We then proceeded further
to the Mosque like structure, probably built during the reign of Hyder
Ali. The minarets of the Mosque were quite interesting. There were many
structures in this area including a ruined temple. Finally we reached
the seventh gate which probably was an entrance to the erstwhile palace
or the place where the king and queen lived. The view from the top was
breathtaking.
 |
| The Final Climb |
 |
| Sixth Gate |
 |
| Water Pond |
 |
| Rain-Water Transporting Canal |
 |
| The Mosque |
 |
| Stair to the Top of the Mosque |
 |
| Water Pond |
 |
| Ruined Structure |
 |
| Last Tier of the Fort |
 |
| Granary Entrance |
 |
| Light Entering the Granary |
 |
| Ruined Structures |
 |
| Ruins Viewed from the Top of the Mosque |
 |
| View from the Top |
 |
| Bird's Eye View of Midigeshi |
 |
| Lord Venkataramana Temple |
There are other magnificent temples of that period in the village
along side a Jain temple. There is no witness for the participation of
the ASI in maintenance of this place. Altogether, a nice place to
visit.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH4 - Dabspet - Right turn - Madhugiri - Bypass - Midigeshi
Distance from Bangalore: 120 kms
Places to visit around: Madhugiri,
Madakasira,
Channarayanadurga ,
Pavagada,
Ratnagiri,
Bhasmangi and many more
Trip Date: 30 Jan' 2011
Usgalimal Rock Carvings Prehistoric Goa
"Usgalimal" is a famous place among the European tourists
who visit Goa. To Indian tourists, other than the localites, this place
is rather unknown. We happened to read about this place some time back
and made sure not to miss it during our next visit to Goa. This Ugadi
gave us a chance of making a trip to Goa and there we were!
Usgalimal is a small hamlet on the banks of the river
Kushavati. In the year 1993, some villagers had found mysterious rock
carvings on the river banks. The same had been brought to notice of the
required authorities who further investigated and found various such
rock carvings in the area. The archeologists assign these carvings to
the Mesolithic period (around 9000 years old) as indicated in the brochure printed by the Govt. of Goa.
 |
| Brochure Of Usgalimal Rock Engraving |
The rock art is full of carvings depicting symbols of religious
cult, cosmology, triskelion, animals like bison, bull, deer, dog,
peacock etc., as well as figures of labyrinth and mother goddess. Most
probably, the engravings were carved using specially prepared using
sharp pointed stone tools.
 |
| Bull - Usgalimal Rock Carving |
 |
| The Peacock |
 |
| Bison |
 |
| Dancing Lady |
 |
| Mother Goddess |
 |
| New Born Child |
 |
| Large Hoof Carvings |
 |
| Two Dancing Ladies |
 |
| Hunting Trap |
 |
| Human Feet |
 |
| Labyrinth Usgalimal Rock Carving |
 |
| Wounded Bison |
 |
| Probably a Water Pond |
 |
| A walk across the River |
There is no entrance fee to this place though there is a full
time care taker who also guides the tourists. This place requires more
attention and the maintenance. Since the carvings are open to sky,
utmost care needs to be taken for protecting them. There are also
chances of damaging the carvings due to walking over them. They can be
best protected by creating a glass enclosure (see below pic) similar to
the one in
Shravanabelagola .
 |
| Glass Enclosure to Protect Inscriptions |
Directions from Panaji: Panaji - NH17 - Margao - Take left
turn - Quepem - Tilamol - Right turn - Rivona - Colomba - Right turn
near mining area - Follow the Protected site board .
Distance from Panaji: 75 kms
Places to Visit around: Rivona,
Kurdi,
Surla, Canacona, Margao,
Arvalem and many more.
Trip date: 5 April' 2011
Meguti Temple, Aihole
"Meguti Jain Temple" is another remarkable temple of its kind. Located in
Aihole on the
Megutigudda, this temple exhibits Dravidian style of architecture. The temple stands on a hill and thus named as
"Megana Basadi", meaning the The Upper Temple, which in course of time was corrupted to
Megudi or
Meguti.
The temple has a pillared hall in the front, and an antarala and a
sanctum in the back. On its outer walls is the famous Aihole inscription
dated back to the 6th century (634 AD) which gives records of the
temple construction by Ravikeerti, the commander and minister of
Pulikeshin II. This temple has resemblance to the
Lad Khan temple .
 |
| Meguti Temple |
 |
| Magnificent Entrance |
 |
| Door Frame |
 |
| Jain Tirthankaras |
 |
| Upper Structure |
 |
| Roof |
 |
| Hero Stone |
 |
| Hero Stones |
 |
| Fort Walls |
Manyapura/ Manne - The Lost Ganga Capital
"Manne" is a village of Nelamangala Taluk, Bangalore rural
district. Though we knew only of its location somewhere near
Nelamangala, we set out to find this place. After reaching Nelamangala
and inquiring, a bunch of people we first met told us we had to travel
about 24 kms from here to that place and gave us directions. We were not
really convinced with their directions and the distance as our pre-trip
research said Manne was only about 8 kms from Nelamangala. We thanked
them and proceeded further to ask the next few, but in vain. Since most
of them were unaware of this place, we had to move on. Finally we met
someone who told us the distance to Manne is about 9-10 kms from hereon.
We were pleased by his answer and since it matched our research we
moved ahead following his directions assuming they were right .
We reached Budihal on NH4 (Tumkur road ) and as per the man's
directions we had to make a right turn here. We wanted to make sure we
were on the right track and inquired a few people around but none seemed
to know about the place. Finally, an elderly person came to our rescue.
He gave us the same directions as the first bunch of people had given
us (the 24 kms travel) and told us we had to travel about 16 kms to
reach our destination. Without wasting any more time, we proceeded
further. At last, we were greeted by a welcome arch of the place which
read " Welcome to the Capital of the Gangas - Manyapura ".
 |
| Welcome to the Captial of the Gangas- Manyapura (Manne) |
The Gangas are one amongst the many strong dynasties that ruled
Karnataka during the 9th - 12th Centuries. They started their rule with
Kolar as their capital, then shifted to Manyapura and finally Talakad.
Manyapura, the then capital of the Gangas today is nothing but neglected
ruins. We would like to add that Manyapura somehow has failed to make
its mark in any which way possible unlike Talakad and Kolar. There are
many temples here built during the period of Gangas, some of which have
been completely renovated while the others are in ruins. We saw that
some efforts were being to restore and maintain some of these temples
though not sufficient. We had the wonderful company for 4 kids who also
guided us across the village to show us different places and we must say
they knew much about the same and felt proud too.
 |
| The Famous Four! |
The first place we visited was the "temple of Kapileswara"
which is about 1200 years old. It looked very grand, though in complete
ruins. The life-sized Dwarapalakas, nicely carved windows and
perfectly designed pillars are the only remains.
 |
| Kapileswara Temple |
 |
| The Decorative Door Frame |
 |
| One of the Magnificent Dwarapalakas |
 |
| A Closer Look |
 |
| Designer Pillar |
 |
| Nicely Carved Windows |
 |
| Window Frame Work |
 |
| Depiction of Romantic Scenes |
 |
| Carvings on the Window |
 |
| Window from the Inside |
 |
| Rear View of the Temple |
 |
| Inner View |
 |
| A Perfect Picture-Guides, Photographer, Temple, Cows, Cycle, Shepherd Lady & MUV |
Manyapura/ Manne- The lost Capital of Gangas
"Manyapura (Manne)" is home to many temples built by the Gangas. The most famous amongst them are the
'Kapileswara' temple and the
'Someswara'
temple. The Someswara temple is in a very bad state with no
maintenance. The temple looks engulfed by many outgrown plants which
need to be cleaned. There is an idol of Nandi inside the temple which is
partly damaged.
 |
| Someswara Temple |
 |
| Ruined Temple |
 |
| The partly damaged Nandi Idol |
 |
| Stone Pillar |
 |
| Pattika of Lord Ganesha |
Our guides were eager to show us the other hidden treasures of their
village about which we had no clue. They took us to Lord Hanuman temple
which was completely renovated. But the most impressive part was the
pillar on which the lord was inscribed. Within the temple compound, we
found an interesting sculpture of Lord Ganesha , a Hero Stone and again
a partly damaged idol of Nandi.
 |
| Lord Hanuman Temple and the Pillar |
 |
| Lord Hanuman |
 |
| Hero Stone |
 |
| Lord Ganesha |
Thereon, we moved towards the center of the village which housed a
few temples, inscriptions and a Mantap. The mantap currently serves as a
storage place for fodder.
 |
| Devi Temple Shikara |
 |
| The Lady ( Devi's Reincarnation ) |
 |
| Devi's Temple |
 |
| The inscriptions |
 |
| Mantap |
 |
| Inscriptions |
Just when we had in mind that we had covered all places of
historical importance here, the kids surprised us by telling us they had
another special place in store for us that was worth visiting. They
took us to their school. While we wondered what made them bring us here,
they took us to place that looked like a miniature museum. Recently an
idol (only the head portion) was found around this place, which is
believed to be of either the Buddha or the Mahavira (not sure). Our
guess would be Mahavira since the Gangas followed Jainism.
Shravanabelagola, Kambadahalli and other Jain temples were built during their period .
 |
| Hero Stone |
 |
| Mahavira/Buddha |
 |
| Naga Devathas |
 |
| Beheaded Idol |
Manyapura (Manne) is a really wonderful place filled with
history which has been lost somewhere due to our negligence. There are
many other small temples in this village which we sadly could not cover.
It is advisable to take help from the locals to move around the
village.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH4 - T Begur - Take right
turn - Thayamangondlu (8 kms) - Proceed further till the railway
crossing (NH207)-Take a right and immediate left turn - Manne
Distance from Bangalore: About 50 kms
Places to visit nearby: Nelamangala,
Binnamangala, Shivagange,
Nijagal Fort and many more.
Trip Date: 14 Jan' 2010
Winged Jewel : Ashy Crowned Lark
Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark
(wiki) is a common bird found in stone areas with sparse scrub, dry
cultivation, sandy riverbeds and dry tidal mudflats. Though we have
spotted this bird many a times, this trip gave us an opportunity to
photograph the bird. Below are some captures of the lark's photo shoot!
 |
| Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark (Male) |
 |
| Handsome! Ain't I? |
This bird was spotted near Devaragudda , Haveri district.
Winged Jewel : Black Winged Stilt
"Black Winged Stilt" is one of our favourite birds
because of its long pink legs. This bird is usually found near water
bodies. Though it has a reputation of being shy, this time it seemed
very friendly and gave us an opportunity to captures its various moods.
 |
| Meal Time |
 |
| Its Walky time after the meal! |
The above picture was shot near Rushikulya beach ,
Orissa. The beach is known for its mass nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles during January - March.
Identification Guide : A field Guide to the Birds of India, by Krys Kazmierczak
Corjuem Fort, Aldona, Goa
After a sumptuous meal at Panjim, we decided to go in search of
Fort near Alorna. The location of this fort as per our pre-trip
research was somewhere in northern
Goa
nearby to Mapusa. Our loyal road map/GPS (Eicher Good Earth Road Atlas)
also showed a fort near Alorna. But the local map we bought in Goa
(whatsongoa.com) had no signs of the same. When we tried to match the
maps, the local map showed a place named Aldona and a fort little
further from this called the Corjuem Fort.
With an assumption that both these places (Alorna and Aldona)
could be the same, we headed towards Mapusa. Later we came to know that
there are actually two different forts . After some inquiries with the
locals, we finally reached Aldona and followed the directions marked by
the Government of Goa 'Protected Site' to reach the fort.
 |
| Corjuem Fort |
The fort is believed to have been built by the
Portuguese
in the 16th century and was used as a strategic point to attack the
Marathas and the Bhonsles. This fort is also associated with a
Portuguese lady soldier named Ursula e Lancaster, who tried to make it
big in a man's world. She disguised herself as man and joined the army.
The Corjuem Fort could easily be one amongst the smallest of forts of
India.
 |
| Fort Walls |
 |
| Closer View of the Watch Tower |
 |
| Watch Tower form the Inside |
Nothing much remains inside the fort walls except a well (source of
water), a chapel, a room/pantry and four ramps. The sturdy fort walls
are in a good shape even without any maintenance. There is no entrance
fee.
 |
| Portuguese Inscriptions |
 |
| The Pantry |
 |
| The Well, Pantry and the Ramp |
 |
| The Chapel |
Directions: For directions, click on the Location tab below.
Places To visit nearby: Chapora Fort, Fort Aguda,
Arvalem falls, Nanjus Fort, Vagator Beach, Anjuna Beach, Baga Beach, Calangute Beach, Mayem Lake, Lamgao and many more.
Trip Date: 4 April ' 2011
The Hoysala Temple of Sheelanere, K R Pete, Mandya
'K.R.Pete', a treasure trove is home to many wonderful temples built by the Hoysalas. Our hunt for unknown Hoysala temples, this time lead us to a place named Sheelanere. 'Sheelanere'
is small village located in K.R.Pete taluk, Mandya district. The
Eshwara temple here was built by the Hoysalas in 1157 AD. This beautiful
soapstone temple is situated near a huge lake, but in ruined state.
 |
| Eshwara Temple Complex |
 |
| The Big and Beautiful Lake |
The temple was locked, but were able to peep inside through
the grills. There was another temple (renovated) that housed an idol of
Kshetrapala Bhairava. There was also a small room having two hero
stones. There are many hero stones and idols scattered around the
temple and the lake. The huge lake adds a lot of serenity to this place.
 |
| Eshwara Temple |
 |
| The Entrance |
 |
| Lord Eshwara |
 |
| Kshetrapala Bhairava |
 |
| Lord Ganapathy |
 |
| People carved on the Stone |
 |
| Broken Hero Stone |
 |
| Hero Stone |
 |
| Hero Stones inside the small room |
 |
| War Scene Depiction on Hero Stone |
'Hero stones' (Wiki) or
'Veeragallu'
are stone carvings depicting the culture that prevailed those days .
Majority of the hero stones found have 3 Phases or Panels or Pattikas.
The bottom phase depicts war scenes, the middle phase depicts the hero
being led by the angels to heaven and the top phase depicts the worship
of god. Some of the hero stones found here had four phases, the top most
depicted a scene from Kailasa (Abode of Shiva), where the hero is
entering Kailasa in the presence of Lord Shiva and his consort
Parvathi.
 |
| Hero Stone |
Overall, this place is beautiful and serene.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - Mysore Road - B R Koppal - Right turn - Pandavapura - Take right turn at the direction board (Kannada) - Sheelanere
Distance from Bangalore:145 kms
The Hoysala Temples of Nagalapura, Turuvekere, Tumkur
'Nagalapura' is a village located in Turuvekere taluk ,
Tumkur district. This place is almost unknown but has two significantly
beautiful and ornate Hoysala temples, which probably would have been
grand like any other Hoysala temple, but today is nothing but ruins.
Nagalapura was a prosperous town under the Hoysala rule, whose
grandeur can be felt when we look at these temple . Like most of the
Hoysala towns, this too has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (
Kedareshwara) and another temple dedicated to
Lord Vishnu (Chennakeshava).
The Kedareshwara temple is situated at the entrance of the village.
This is bigger than the Chennakeshava temple though both have the same
plan of construction.
 |
| The Kedareshwara Temple |
The Kedareshwara temple is just like any other Hoysala
temple in shape and design. It has five pattikas. The outer walls have
amazing sculptures of Lord Shiva depicted in his various forms and
vahanas(vehicles).
 |
| Lord Ishana and Parvathi on a Bull |
 |
| Lord Varuna and his consort on a Crocodile |
The one among various forms of Lord Shiva is the Gajantaka,
which is a destructive form taken by him to over come the elephant
demon Gajasura. This demon, created by the sages of Darukavana terrified
gods and the people. Gajantaka is believed to bring prosperity.
 |
| Gajasuramurti |
Siva carries an antelope in his left upper hand. It is held in several ways. Shiva's antelope (Mrga)
denotes his rulership over nature. Antelope/ gazelle / deer is an
ancient Indus valley symbol of the lord of animals and of all living
beings .
 |
| Lord Shiva with an Antelope in his upper left hand |
There are various depictions on the outer walls like the Betala
(Demon), a beautiful lady, Lord Brahma , and many various forms of
Shiva and his family.
 |
| Arjuna aiming at the Fish |
 |
| Lord Shiva |
 |
| Bhringi |
 |
| Shanmuga |
 |
| Mahishasuramardhini |
 |
| Lord Brahma |
 |
| The Five Pattikas |
 |
| Music Troupe |
 |
| A Beautiful Lady |
 |
| Note the Heeled Foot Wear |
 |
| The Temple |
 |
| Side View of the Temple |
Since the temple was closed and the care taker who lived in a near by
village was unavailable, we had to move on without seeing the inside of
the temple.
References used : The book
"The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography" written by Margaret Stutley.
The Hoysala Temple, Nagalapura , Tumkur
This post is about the Chennakeshava Temple which is another
small and beautiful temple of Nagalapura. The temple is dedicated to
Lord Vishnu, the favourite god of the Hoysalas. Any number of adjectives
used to describe the Hoysala architecture seems insufficient. They are
undoubtedly one amongst the best architects of the world. There are
very interesting one line legends about the temple some of which are
that, this temple was built in a single day, built in single stone and
many more.
 |
| Chennakeshava Temple |
The temple, built on a platform is poly angled (like many other
Hoysala temples). It is an Ekakuta temple. The exterior and interior of
the temple are equally decorative and carry intricate carvings. The
ceilings are magnificent and uniquely carved. The Garbagriha houses an
idol of Lord Chennakeshava. The pillars are huge and carry a few motifs .
 |
| Ceiling -1 |
 |
| Ceiling -2 |
 |
| Ceiling -3 |
 |
| Ceiling -4 |
 |
| Ceiling -5 |
 |
| Ceiling -6 |
 |
| Lord Vishnu on the Lintel |
 |
| Lord Cheluvanarayana on the Lintel |
 |
| The huge Pillars |
 |
| An example of Skill and Patience! |
 |
| Intricate !!!! |
 |
| Lord Chennakeshava |
Our guide was a young boy of the village and seemed quite
interested in sharing the history and legends of the temple. The outer
walls of the temple are extremely artistic and contain carvings of
various gods and goddesses.
 |
| Our Guide |
 |
| Faded Entrance |
 |
| Pattikas |
|
 |
| Side view of the Temple |
 |
| Mahishasuramardhini |
 |
| Most intricate and an amazing carving (note the minute detailing) |
Nagalapura is a great place to enjoy architectural beauty. The
Kedareshwara temple is
being looked after by the ASI and has a permanent care taker, who
resides in the neighboring village. The keys to the Chennakeshava temple
are kept in a house nearby the temple.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH48 - Right turn towards
Myasandra - Myasandra - Left turn after 3 kms (There is school on the
right side ) - Left turn at the dead end - Right turn after 6 kms there
is a board in Kannada - Nagalapura
Distance from Bangalore:125 kms
Places to visit nearby: Tandaga,
Hulikal, Nonavinkere, Vignasanthe, Turuvekere and many more
Trip date : 27 Feb '2011
Reference:
The hours - My Memoir
Winged Jewel : Hoopoe
The
Common Hoopoe
is a colorful and distinctive bird known for its fan-like crest . The
bird derives its name from its soft "poop! poop!" cry and can be seen
singly or in pairs, often around human inhabitation and feeds by digging
in the ground .
 |
| Crest Open |
 |
| Hoopoe |
Heggunda
Heggunda
is one amongst the very few places we had a chance of visiting more
than once. We made sure to cover the hero stones that we missed during
our first visit. On reaching this place, we headed straight to the
temple of Lord Anjaneya. The temple is believed to be built during the
Hoysala period.
 |
| Lord Anjaneya Temple |
 |
| Colorful Gopura |
 |
| Hoysala Emblem |
Later, we went in search of the Viragals or Hero stones. We found a
few in the fields surrounding the temple. It was disheartening to see
the stones lay unprotected and carelessly spread all over the field.
 |
| Hero Stone |
 |
| Warrior and the Lady |
After this, we inquired if there were any more such stones around.
We met an elderly man who looked disinterested in disclosing any kind
of information and so, saying nothing much, walked away. However, a
lady sitting not much far away from this man showed an interest in
replying to us and told us about a carving of a Goddess on a rock which
was worth seeing. She volunteered to join us but since she was quite
old , we requested her to only give us directions and started walking
having no idea what was in store for us. After walking a few miles, we
realised we were unable to figure out the place. After wandering
around looking for carvings in the nearby rocks, we decided to go back
and bring the lady along. On going back to her and requesting her to
come along, the old man sitting next to her murmured about us wasting
their time. But, the lady was very much eager to show us that place. She
came along and we were amazed to see such an amazing piece of rock
carving hidden amidst the rocks. We would not be able to figure that
place by ourselves for sure!! The carving of the Goddess (Devi) was
really wonderful and exciting. The lady then told us that none knew
about who carved this and the goddess has supreme powers in curing
ailments. She also cited examples about many cases wherein the doctors
were unable to cure but when people came to this place, they got cured.
 |
| The Hidden Carving! |
 |
| Devi standing on the head of a buffalo head |
 |
| Shepherdess |
Our sincere thanks to this lady for showing us this amazing place.
She was very curious to know about why we we clicked her picture,
though it was hard to explain to her why. One of the best parts of
travelling is getting a chance to meet such wonderful and lovely
people. Altogether, a nice place for an adventurous climb, history and
fairly good bird watching .
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