https://www.teamgsquare.com/2012/01/a-roadtrip-to-orissa-from-bangalore.html
"Roadissi" Dancing on the Roads of Orissa
"Roadissi" is the chronicle of our road trip to the beautiful state of Orissa/Odisha. After reading a newspaper article about the famous temple of India "The Sun Temple of Konarak" being in danger, we decided to visit this marvelous temple. Though our initial plan was only a 2 to 3 days trip covering Puri - Konark- Lake Chilika - Bhubaneshwar,
on researching for places in Orissa, we realised 2 to 3 days were
insufficient!!! A good 10 to 15 days would give us a good chance of
covering most of the places and since we were driving so far, it made
sense to make the best use of our time! Rule number one was to complete
all our official works so we could take leave without any hindrances.
Finally, we managed to get a good two weeks leave and here on started
our adventurous and unforgettable road trip to Orissa.
Orissa is blessed with immense natural, cultural and religious heritage. James Fergusson
(author of the book " History of Indian and Eastern Architecture")
declares in his book that " there are more temples now in Orissa than in
all the rest of Hindustan put together". W W Hunter stated that
"From end to end, it is one region of pilgrimage". Orissa, rightly
called as the land of temples, is home to the most beautiful
masterpieces of architecture.
Our Itinerary
1) Pilgrimage - Puri Jaganath, Puri and the Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneshwar
2) Architectural, Hindu - Konark, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Banks of the River Mahanadi
3) Architectural, Buddhism/Jainism - Dhaulagiri, Udayagiri (2), Ratnagiri, Lalitagiri and Khandagiri
4) Natural wonders - Atri and Taptapani Hot Water Springs
5) Wildlife - Simlipal Tiger Reserve, Bhitarkanika and Gahirmatha, Chilika and Satkosia
6) Beaches - Gahirmatha, Chilika, Puri, and Chandrabagh
7) Forts - Sisupalgarh and Cuttack
8) Art - Pipli, the Art Village
9) Asokan Edicts - Dhaulagiri and Behrampur
Unfortunately, the Simlipal Tiger Reserve remained closed due to Naxal
activities in the region, thus ruining our opportunity of visiting the
reserve as well as India's second highest waterfall - the Barehipani
waterfall (1300 ft), which falls inside the reserve limits. Also, visits
to Satkosia, Taptapani, Cuttack and Behrampur failed to materialize
due to various reasons. Apart from these, as it was road trip, we got to
explore a lot of hidden treasures of both states, Orissa and Andhra
Pradesh. Road trips always are an added advantage as we have no time
limits and free to explore any place we feel like!
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| Roadissi - Dancing on the roads of Orissa |
Our companions of the trip
1) Information Center - "Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent " by
Takeo Kamiya, India - Eyewitness Travel of DK, Incredible India of IMS,
Wildlife Holidays in India of Outlook Traveller, Konark - By Thomas
Donaldson, Temple Cities of Orissa - By Balaram Mishra and few details
collected from various websites
2) Clicking partners - Canon Power shot G3 (5 GB) and Canon EOS 450 D (16 GB)
3) GPS - Eicher Road Atlas (wonderful road atlas) and IMS India Road Atlas
4) Music partner - Our good old pen drive with 4 GB capacity, full of
songs (old and new Kannada and Hindi songs, dropped the latest ones as
some of them have no meaning at all!!)
5) Telecom partners - BSNL, Airtel and Vodafone - had three for safety
as we were unsure of the connectivity (though it turned out to be far
better than we expected). Very important to keep in touch with our loved
ones
6) A travel diary for writing down details of places visited, etc., including expenditure
Our Travel Oath
1) Not to exceed a speed limit of 100 kmph (Result:Never exceeded 100 kmph)
2) No night driving beyond 10 pm . (Result:Oath broken on last day while
returning back, by celebrating New Year's during the drive)
3) Calling home everyday (Result:Did not dare to break this one!)
The only package trip we opted for, during our trip :
2 days at the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Halted at the Sand Pebbles Resort, very close by to the sanctuary limits
Total Cost : Under Rs 60,000/- per couple, including the
Bhitarkanika package (16k) and diesel expense (14k), which are the major
contributors
Road Conditions : 95 % of the roads were excellent, rest were
manageable except for a kilometer stretch that leads to the
Bhitarkanika Sanctuary
Total km : 4438
Number of Days : 14, 19 December 2010 5:15 am to 01 Jan 2011 2:30 pm
Total No of photos taken : 14 GB, 7352 clicks
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| The Beginning |
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| Morning Hues |
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| First Sunrise of our Trip |
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| Smooth Road Connecting Chintamani and Madanpalle |
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| A P State Highway 61 |
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| Traffic Pile Up on the River Godavari Bridge |
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| Traffic Jam at Vizag Steel Junction |
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| Awesome Road Connecting Puri and Konark |
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| Wow ! What a Sight - The Sun Temple, Konarak |
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| Muddy Road Leading to the Wild Bhitarkanika |
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| Last Sunset of our trip (Visakhapatnam) |
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| The End and Beginning of a New Journey |
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The dance shall continue ......
Roadtrip to Orissa from Bangalore Day 1
Roadissi Day One
Day Plan : Non-stop drive to Visakhapatnam
Travel Route : Bangalore- Hoskote (NH 4) - Chintamani (SH
82)- Madanapalle (NH 205)- Rayachoti (NH 40) - Kadapa (NH 40) - Badvel -
Pamuru (AP SH61) - Kandukur (NH 5) - Ongole (NH 5) - Guntur (NH 5) -
Rajamundry (NH 5) - Visakhapatnam (NH5)
Distance : About 1000 km
Estimated Travel Time : 12 hours excluding breaks
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| Landscape at Karnataka - Andhra Border |
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| Welcome to Andhra Pradesh |
We started right on time on day one and as usual, after offering prayers
at Lord Hanuman's temple for a safe and happy journey, continued our
drive. We stopped by for some breakfast at Madanpalle. Driving further,
we had to take a deviation from NH 205 towards Rayachoti. Though the
initial stretch of the road was under construction, later on, the
condition of roads only improved. All of a sudden, something huge
appeared before our eyes and caught our attention! It was the beautiful
hill fort of Gurramkonda. Now, we were in two minds about exploring this
place. After a few minutes of analysis and coming to a conclusion that
it would take us at least three hours to explore the fort, and since we
had set ourselves a time limit, without wasting any more time, we
quickly took a shot of it and promised to visit this place again.
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| Gurram-Konda Fort |
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| View of NH 40 from Kadapa Ghat |
Via Rayachoti, we proceeded further towards Kadapa (famous for its stone
slabs, popularly called as Kadapa stone). A few kilometers before
reaching Kadapa, a short stretch of ghat section welcomes us to view
the natural beauty of Kadapa. Hereon, we reached Mydukur and after
crossing Badvel, we visited the Lord Rama temple by the road side. At
the first look, the temple looked like it was built by the Vijayanagar
Kings, though not sure. It seemed to have undergone some renovations. A
small well existed near the temple, which was built using Kadapa stones.
The water level in the well was quite high and the construction was
neat.
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| The Tall & Lovely Raja Gopura of Lord Chennakeshava Temple |
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| Lord Rama Temple at Badvel |
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| Mosaic Designs |
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| Lord Rama |
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| The Well |
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| Water Level in the Well |
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| Our Dear Travel Partner !! |
Proceeding further towards our destination, we reached a place called
Duttalur at around 12:30 pm and on reading our map for route
confirmation, we realised the presence of a fort around by this place.
We had traveled around 450 km until now. We allotted ourselves about
thirty minutes to explore the fort as we had to travel 550 km from now
on and reach Vizag before 10:00 pm. The Fort had much more to offer than
we thought.
The dance shall continue .........
Udayagiri Fort and Temples, Nellore
After realizing the presence of a fort named Udayagiri at about 11 km
from Duttalur, we went ahead to explore the place. Lovely winding roads
leads us to Udayagiri, a hill fort, situated at 950 m above Main sea
level. Within minutes of our realizing that it would take us more time
to trek up to the fort, a few tall Rajagopuras in Udayagiri town
caught our attention.
History of the Fort - The fort was built by
Gajapathis
during the14th Century. In the year 1512, Krishnadevaraya of
Vijayanagar Kingdom attacked this fort while the battle lasted for about
18 months. After Krishnadevaraya's army defeated the Gajapathis and
captured the fort, the Gajapathis offered a peace treaty by asking
Krishnadevaraya to marry their princess Jaganmohini (Badradevi) . Later,
the Nawabs of Golconda occupied this fort. Today it is pile of ruins.
One has to trek about 12 km to reach the fort.
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| Udayagiri Fort |
The
Grand Royal Wedding - A grand Kalyana Mandapa/ Paruveta Mandapam was
constructed in the Udayagiri town at the orders of Krishnadevaraya. The
place was decked up beautifully for the wedding of Krishnadevaraya and
Princess Jaganmohini. A lovely Rajagopura welcomed us at the entrance,
while the pillared Kalyana Mantapa with intricate carvings is present
inside the compound. There is a huge Kalyani in front of the
Rajagopura. The ASI and the Andhra Pradesh Govt. has done a decent job
in restoring the place, though there is a lack of maintenance.
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| Pushkarni or Kalyani |
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| Mantapa |
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| Rajagopura |
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| Carvings on the Walls of the Rajagopura |
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| Lord Krishna |
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| Pillared Mantapa |
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| Another View of The Mantapa |
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| Kalyana Mantapa |
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| Carved pillars |
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| Pillar Top and Lintel Carvings |
Udayagiri
houses the ruins of more than 300 temples built during the reign of
different kingdoms, though most of them were re-built or improved
further by the Vijayanagar Kings.
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| Lord Balakrishna Temple |
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Continued here...
Temples of Udayagiri, Nellore
After exploring the beautiful pillared
Kalyana Mandapa,
we moved on to explore another beautiful temple located few yards away
from here. This temple is dedicated to Lord Balakrishna and was built by
the Pallavas during 9th century. This temple consist of a garbagriha,
an antrala, Sukanasi and Navaranga with a missing Mukhamandapa.
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| Lord Balakrishna Temple, Udayagiri |
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| Ananthasayana |
Udayagiri was one of the most important cities of Medieval south India.
It was ruled by Satavahanas, the Cholas, the Pallavas, the
Telugu Chodas,
Vijayanagara, Gajapathis, Golconda Nawabs and Finally Britishers.
Udayagiri was captured by Vijayanagara King Virupanna II in early 15th
Century (around 1402 AD) from Telugu Chodas and later went into hands of
Gajapathis (Kings of Orissa) under the rule of King Purushottam around
1485 AD, who also captured the surrounding areas of Kondavidu and
fortified these towns. In 1512 AD King Krishnadevaraya recaptured
Udayagiri and its surrounding areas and moved forward towards Cuttack to
capture the Gajapathis, who then offered a peace treaty by asking
Krishnadevaraya to marry their Princess Jaganmohini(Bhadradevi), the
daughter of Gajapathi king Prataprudra . Though there is no
documentation of this marriage in any form of Inscriptions (
further reading on this).
In response to this Krishnadevaraya returned back the territories
earlier held by Gajapathis. In celebrations of this roaring victory over
Gajapathis, Krishnadevaraya made lavish donations to many temples in
his Kingdom, namely Vijaya Vithala temple (Hampi), lord Venkateshwara
Temple (Tirupathi) and so on. Almost all the temples down south were
provided with an imposing Rajagopuras, beside a many pillared mandapa or
pavilion were added to the temple complexes. Most of the old temples in
Hampi were renovated and lot of additional structures were erected. A
complete temple dedicated to Lord Krishna in Hampi was built to mark his
victory and where he installed the murti of Lord Balakrishna which was
brought war trophy from the Lord Balakrishna temple in Udayagiri as per
inscriptions found at this temple of 1513 AD.
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| Decorative Door Frame with Dwarapalakas |
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| Empty Garbhagriha |
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| Note The Carvings of Various Animals |
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| Lord Lakshminarasimha |
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| Lord Balakrishna and Butter Churning |
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| Rear View of Shikara |
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| Ananthashayana Sculpture on the Shikara |
References:
1.Book "
Vijayanagar" edited by Vasundhara Filliozat
2.Book"
Archaeology, Art and Religion, new perspectives on Vijayanagara" written by Anila Verghese.
Our Guest Post in My Yatra Dairy
Arti of
My Yatra Diary
gave us an opportunity of sharing space on her wonderful blog by writing
a guest post. She is an avid spiritual traveler and blogger, who covers
various pilgrim destinations of India in detail with loads of
information and photographs. Kindly read through our guest post on
Chennakeshava temple of C R Patna (Hassan).
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| Chennakeshava Temple |
Places to Visit around Channarayapatna:
Anekere
Waterfalls of Kolli Hills
'Kolli Hills' is
known for its waterfalls, a mixture of well known and lesser known
falls. Thanks to the rains that added more beauty and charm to the
nature.
1. Falls 65
Falls 65 is a road side multi tiered falls which is active only
during monsoons. Since the waterfall is located besides the hairpin
bend number 65, and we are not aware of its name yet, here we call it as
Falls 65. The roaring noise of the falls attracted us to it. It was a
quite pleasant and wonderful weather. Nature was at its best that day!
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| Hairpin Bend No.65 |
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| Heavenly |
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| Falls 65 |
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| Down Stream of Falls |
2. Agaya Gangai / Akasha Gangai Jr Falls :
The Agaya Gangai Falls is the most famous of all the falls in
Kolli hills and we were heading towards it. On our way, we found a
beautiful flowering tree and wanted to capture its beauty. We stopped by
to get some pictures of it. The weather was breezy with continuous
drizzle and fog every now and then, which reduced the visibility
conditions. While clicking the pictures of that tree, something huge
that looked as if nature was pouring gallons of milk into someone's
fields caught our eye and we moved further to have a look of what it
was! And wow! What a sight! It is probably one of the best waterfalls we
have ever witnessed. We are not even sure if this magical waterfall was
only a result of the very recent monsoons (the receding northeast
monsoons) or whether it is a regular waterfall. Since we could not find
out the name of this waterfall too, we chose to call it Agaya Gangai
Junior. We were actually lucky enough for having sighted
this waterfall, thanks to the person at ticket counter who gave us
directions of a short cut route to Akasha Gangai falls. Though we did
not feel like parting away from this magic, we had to continue our drive
towards Akasha Gangai.
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| The Hidden Falls |
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| Agaya Gangai Jr Falls |
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| Foggy , Misty and Milky |
To be continued ...........
Waterfalls of kolli hills -2
After thoroughly enjoying the
Junior Falls,
we thought we could enjoy the Agaya Gangai Falls as well and very
curiously drove towards it. Unfortunately, on reaching this place, we
were informed that due to the heavy rains in the past few days, the
entry to this waterfall was strictly prohibited. There was absolutely
nothing we could do to even have a glimpse of it as we had to walk down
to reach the falls from the ticket counter. The gates were locked and
the guard made sure his order was strictly followed. We tried hard to
gather details of an alternate route to the same but in vain. We also
inquired about another known falls, the name of which we were fully
aware as Masai Waterfalls, but the guard again gave us the bad news
that it had also been closed due to the bad weather conditions. We were
very disappointed that we missed the chance of witnessing these
magnificent falls after making it this far. Wasting no further time, we
visited the main temple of Arapaleswarar (dedicated to Lord Shiva) and
then on, we continued towards our final destination of Aruppukottai near
Madurai.
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| Agaya Gangai Waterfalls |
While returning from Agaya Gangai falls, we decided to drive through the
longer route. After traveling a few kilometers, far away we spotted
another waterfall. We had an amazing view of the deep valley and the
cascading waterfalls. Identifying its name (if it had any) was a very
difficult task for us! We went on to name it
Kollimalai
Falls. After enjoying this view, we drove further only to find out that
the this falls came under the known category and probably has an
identity since provision was made for bathing under the falls.
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| First Look |
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| Kollimalai Waterfalls |
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| Valley |
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| Uppermost Tier of kollimalai Waterfalls |
Driving further, we found a small temple by the road side and stopped
for offering prayers. On getting closer we found another monsoon
waterfall close by. After clicking a few pictures, we moved on.
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| The Temple |
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| Kovil Waterfalls |
Saalumarada Thimmakka and the Banyan Alley
As we approached the village of Kudur (Magadi taluk), we came
across a long stretch of road having Banyan trees on either side.
Planted in straight lines and at regular intervals, the trees were tall
and dense, forming a natural canopy. A long countryside road stretch and
the Banyan alley, what a beautiful sight it was! (Reminded us of John
Denver's "Take me Home, Country Roads"). At that point in time, it
flashed to us that we had read about a lady who had planted around three
hundred banyan trees in her village surroundings. Little did we know
that we were talking about and witnessing trees planted by the same
lady, Thimmakka.
'
Thimmakka', popularly known as '
Saalumarada Thimmakka' (Saalumara, in Kannada means trees planted in a line/row, Translation:Saalu-line/row;Mara-tree), is a name synonymous to
Afforestation.
She and her husband have played a vital role in planting and nurturing
banyan trees, along the 4 km stretch of road, starting from the village
of Hulikal up to Kudur. For them, the trees were, and will remain their
children. A lot of love and care has been bestowed in nurturing these
banyan trees. The beautiful stretch of road we see today can only be
attributed to their endless love, effort and unselfish labor towards
saving these trees and our environment. The trees are protected by the
Govt.of Karnataka. Thimmakka has received a lot of appreciation and
awards for her work and stands as an inspiration to all of us. In honor
of Thimmaka, an environmental organization carrying her name has also
been set up in California (USA) with a motto of saving environment.
Kudos to the lady and her husband.
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| The Banyan Alley |
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| The Green Canopy |
Further Reading:
1.
Wikipedia
2.
Facebook
3.
Godnewsindia
Sunset at Jenukallu Gudda, Sirsi
Jenukallu Gudda, one amongst the best sunset viewing points of Karnataka,
Agumbe being the most popular.
To know more about this place kindly
click here
Hero Stones - Agrahara Bachahalli
Agrahara Bachahalli, famous for its
Huniseshwara temple and the
Garuda Lenka Kambhas is also known for a massive
Hero Stone or Veeragallu situated
besides the temple. It is housed in a small temple like enclosure and
offers protection to the herostone, signifying the importance of the
hero. This particular hero stone is made of Soap stone, which is smooth
and rarely used in making hero stones, as we have seen. Looking at the
many hero stones inside the temple complex premises, it was quite
evident that a great battle had been fought and many lives lost in order
to save their kingdom. Hero stones are great sources of knowledge in
understanding the history and culture of the people involved. They were
made by people closely associated to the Hero (Solider who sacrificed
his life for the kingdom) in memory of his bravery and in order to
spread a word about the same.
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| An enclosure with Hero-Stone |
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| Hero-stone ( material : soap stone) |
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| Hero stones and Garuda Lenka Kambhas Collection |
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| Ganesha idol and Naga Stones |
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| Beautiful Work |
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| Skillfully Done |
Homer, the Greek author of the Iliad, describes in his book about the
Hero as a person possessing divine strength or a person blessed by God
to have immense power and strength. But in due course, someone who did
noble deeds was also considered a Hero. During olden days, in the Hindu
culture, only two types of people were held in high regard. The one who
attained knowledge through meditation (Bhakti Marga ) and the other who
fought war for the kingdom with a lot of strength and valor (Shakti
Marga). It was also believed that people falling in these two categories
would attain Moksha (Salvation) and reside permanently in Swarga
(Heaven). The same is depicted in the second panel (or the third very
rarely) from the top, of all Hero stones. It is generally shown as the
Hero or Veera, seated on a palanquin and being carried away by
Angels/Apsaras to the heaven.
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| The first panel from top depicts Prayers offered to the Lord |
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| The second panel depicts the hero being carried away to the heaven by Angels |
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| The third depicts war scenes (Soldier on the Horse) |
Related Readings:
1
Team G Square2 Book - ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ವೀರಗಲ್ಲುಗಳು (Karnatakada Veeragallugalu ) by Dr. R .Sheshashastri
Chalukyan Temple of Hire-Hadagali /ಹಿರೇ ಹಡಗಲಿ
The temple is believed to have been built during 10th Century by the
Kalyana Chalukyas. It is undoubtedly one amongst the most beautiful
temples of Karnataka.There are two entrances to temple (one facing
east and the other facing south). The unique feature of this temple is
the embossed carvings on the pattikas. The outer walls of the temple
are extremely beautiful, carrying heavy carvings of unusual styles and
designs.The main temple houses idols of Ganesha,
Sapthamatrikas,
Uma-Maheshwari and Bhairava. All the doorways and the pillars are of
classical Chalukyan type. There is a small idol of Nandi inside the
temple. Another temple situated opposite to this temple is dedicated to
the Sun God Lord Surya and has a huge Nandi in its front, facing the
Kalleshwara.
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| Heavily decorated Pillar |
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| Lion capturing a Three Headed Snake |
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| Embossed Carvings on the Pattikas |
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| Goddess Paravathi |
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| Lord Surya Temple |
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| Nandi |
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| Carvings on the outer wall |
The ASI has maintained this temple and its surroundings well and has appointed full time care takers.
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| Kalleshwara Temple |
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| Natures' Gem with Man made Gem |
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore -NH4 - Ranebennur - Right Turn towards SH 40 -
Hire-Hadagali
Distance from Bangalore: 370 km
Places to visit Around: Mylara, Devaragudda,
Galaganatha,
Chaudayyadanapura, Haveri, Ranebennur, Bagali, Harapanahalli, Hoovina Hadagali,
Kuruvatti, Harlahalli,
Dambal, Magala and many more
Reference :
Ourtemples.in
Fort Bhairavadurga
On a lazy Sunday noon, after a sumptuous lunch at home, we decided
to explore a fort situated close to Bangalore. Our target this time was
the Bhairavadurga Fort. After gearing up suitably, we drove
towards Bhairavadurga. On reaching Hulikal, we stopped by to get
directions from a local. He instructed us to drive through the mud road
just after passing out of the village and on reaching a mango grove, we
could start our trek. We parked our vehicle and headed straight towards
the hill base. We came across another local whom on inquiring about the
route to the hill top, warned us about the presence of leopards and
bears in the dense areas surrounding the hills and advised it would be
better if we explored this place during the early hours. He then calmed
us down by assuring our safety if we returned before sunset and informed
us we had to walk about a kilometer to reach the base of the hill and
then follow the path to the hill top. Since we were already late, we
made an instant and a strict decision of trekking only up till 5:30 pm
and returning to ensure safety. That meant we had about an hour and
fifteen minutes as our trek time limit, which we thought would be just
enough.
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| Fort Bhairavadurga |
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| Into the Woods |
As we walked further, the vegetation gradually changed from shrubby
to woody and though it was summer, the walk through the woods was quite
pleasant. We reached the hill base and also found a path for our trek
uphill. We followed the path and all of a sudden, reached a dead end on
the path with all sides covered with thorny shrubs. We had nowhere to go
further. Somehow, we spotted a small opening in between the shrubs and
realized that if we crossed a few yards, from there on the walk would be
easy and so we did. We were excited to see a flight of steps that lead
to a gateway that was completely engulfed by shrubs.
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| The Dead End |
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| Under Shrubs |
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| Steps leading to the Gateway |
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| The Gateway |
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| Shivagange |
After passing the gateway, and walking ahead, it seemed like we had
lost our way as there was no path to climb up. Though the upper most
tier of fort was in sight, we could not find a way to the hill top. We
tried different routes that we thought would lead us to the fort but in
vain. Since it was late evening, we decided not to venture further and
planned to return.
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| Area engulfed by Shrubs |
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| Upper Tier |
Read the
next part .....
Twin Hoysala Temples , Mosale Hassan
"Mosale" is a sleepy village off the Hassan-Mysore State
Highway (SH 67). A huge sign board at the village entrance welcomes us
to this beautiful place blessed with twin Hoysala temples. These
are amongst the very few Hoysala temples that have remained intact in
all aspects, giving us a chance to admire, experience and appreciate
the Hoysala architectural grandeur to its best. The temples together
form a unique Dwikutachala. While one of the temples is dedicated to Nageshwara (Lord Shiva), the other is dedicated to Chennakeshava
(Lord Vishnu). The approach road to this village is quite a
magnificent sight with narrow roads snaking through lovely green fields.
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| Welcome to Mosale |
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| Roads Snaking through the Green Fields |
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| Nageshwara and Chennakeshava Temple |
These temples are believed to have been built in the 13th Century. According to a legend, the village of Mosale was also the hermitage of Sage Jamadagni (one of the Sapta-Rishis or Seven Sages). The two temples are similar in architecture and have grand exteriors and interiors.
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| Nageshwara temple (Top) and Chennakeshava Temple (Bottom) in Monotone |
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| Entrance Porch |
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| Nectar in the Stone |
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| Ceilings of the Nageshwara Temple |
An other intriguing feature of this temple is the carving of Goddess
Durga on the external ceiling of Nageshwara temple. The speciality of
the carving is that, irrespective of the direction from which we view
it, the goddess appears to be looking back at us. While there are
numerous images of Gods and Goddesses sculpted on the outer walls of the
temple, the most interesting ones are that of the Goddesses with their
respective Vahanas ( or Vehicles) of Snake (presumed to be Kamakya or Manasa ) and Pig (presumed to be Gauri).
While these forms of Goddess Durga are predominant in North East
India, they are rarely witnessed in the South Indian temples. The
Shikaras of both temples are extremely beautiful with the Hoysala Emblem
and the Shikara Phalaka carvings intact.
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| Goddesses with their respective Vahanas (Vehicles) Snake and Pig |
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| Exterior Ceiling depicting Goddess Durga |
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| Exemplary Art Work on the Shikara- Nageshwara (Top) and Chennakeshava (Bottom) |
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| Twin Gems |
Directions from Hassan: Hassan - SH 67- Travel about 8 km - Right turn to Mosale (Follow Sign Board)
Distance from Hassan: 10km
Places to visit Around: Anekere, Ambuga,
C R Patna, Hassan, Gorur,
Koravangala, Nuggehalli, Belur, Halebid, Dodda Gadavalli, Grama and many more...
Vagata, the village of Chola temples
"Vagata", a village located about 6 km from Hoskote was a
very prosperous town under the Cholas. Ever since we read about the
historical significance of this place, we were curious to explore but
lack of information and details of its location, kept us away. We tried
to track the location by inquiring a few friends of ours who hailed from
Hoskote, but to no avail. Finally, a friend returned our call for
giving us the exact location of this place. Vouching on his information,
one Saturday evening, we headed towards exploring this place.We had no
trouble in reaching this place, thanks to the detailed information given
by our friend.
 |
| Tamil Inscriptions |
Vagata was known by several names such as Ovattam,
Varadaraja-Chaturvedi-Mangalam, Ogata, Bhagirathipura, Yogapuri and so
on, under the reign of various kings. The earliest inscription found
here has a mention of Raja Rajendra Chola who ruled during the 10th
Century. There are many old temples in this village, courtesy the
Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. Most important amongst them are the
Varadaraja Temple, Anjaneya temple, Chandramouleshwara temple and the
Chowdeshwari temple. The Varadaraja temple is built in Dravidian style
and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Though the temple is completely renovated,
the idol of Lord Vishnu, the four pillars of the Mukha Mantapa and the
Garudagamba have survived all odds and maintained originality of the
Chola architecture. There is a Tamil inscription nearby the temple.
 |
| Varadaraja Temple |
 |
| Carved Pillar |
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| Garudagamba |
The Anjaneya temple was built by the Vijayanagar Kings. The sculpture
of Lord Anjaneya is huge and beautiful. The Chandramouleshwara temple
is situated besides a lake and is completely renovated, with no signs
of ancient origin. Hereon, we visited the Chowdeshwari temple located
on the other side of the lake. This temple is one amongst the very few
temples dedicated to the Sapthamatrikas and may have been built during
the same time as the Kolaramma temple in Kolar (which is also dedicated
to the Sapthamatrikas). '
Sapthamatrikas'
is a set of seven mothers, representing the motherly aspects of the
great goddesses (Devi's) and
constitute the female counterparts of the gods Brahma (Brahmani),
Maheshvara (Mahesvari), Kaumara (Kaumari), Vishnu (Vaisnavi) , Varaha
(Varahi), Indra (Indrani) and Yama (Chamundi). Apart from these, there
are scultpures of Bethala, Veerabhadra, Shiva, Chowdeshwari and the
Royal priest of Cholas, inside the temple, which are quite interesting.
 |
| Chandramouleshwara Temple |
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| Chowdeshwari Temple and Sinking Pillar |
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| Half Buried Thoranagamba |
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| Bethala |
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| Veerabhadra Swamy |
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| Chowdeshwari |
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| Royal Priest of the Cholas |
 |
| Sapthamatrikas |
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| Dwarapalakas |
According to the legend, people feared to visit this temple as it
was engulfed by dense forests. It was then, that a widow named
Chikkamma, decided to take up the renovation work of this temple. She
approached the king of Mysore and requested him to help the villagers.
When the king turned down her request, she returned to her village and
found her own way for saving the temple. She sold her Mangalasutra (the
sacred thread, made of Gold and other precious stones, tied by the
husband to his wife sanctifying marriage) and gathered money. Meanwhile,
the king who had refused to help her faced various problems, and on
consultation and advice of the Royal Priest, decides to visit
Chowdeshwari temple and perform rituals in order to get rid of all his
problems. There is a beautiful Thoranagamba just opposite to the temple
entrance which lies half buried and pillar that sinks a few inches every
year. As per the priest's description, the pillar is sinking ever since
Chikkamma renovated the temple and from the time he remembers, it has
sunk by almost a foot.
 |
| Moonlit Evening |
While the priest, common to Varadaraja and the Anjaneya temple lives
inside the premises of the Anjaneya temple, the priest, common to the
the temples of Chandramouleshwara and Chowdeshwari resides near the
Chandramouleshwara temple. Both the priests are quiet friendly and
helpful. Annual Jatra is held during the month of April.
Fort Bhairavadurga, Kuduru Betta
Ever since we read about the existence of
Navadurgas (Nine Forts) around
Bangalore, our hunt for these were on. It is rather surprising that
information on the Navadurgas is limited along with the ambiguity about
the nine forts and the basis
of them being called as Navadurgas. We were confident about eight forts
out of the nine namely
Savanadurga,
Kabbaladurga,
Huthridurga,
Devarayanadurga,
Makalidurga,
Channarayanadurga,
Nandidurga and
Huliyurdurga.
The ninth one listed, Bandallidurga, did not sound convincing since
its location ( M M hills) somehow seemed to be far away from the
Bangalore circuit. When we read about
Bhairavadurga
, we thought that it fits this list perfectly, though not sure. Not
much of history of this place is known except that it was built by
Kempe Gowda II and later was conquered by Tippu Sultan and the British.
 |
| Bhairavadurga Hill |
 |
| The Path |
Every now and then, we were haunted by our incomplete trek to
Fort Bhairavadurga.
On a early Sunday morning, we decided to conquer this fort second time
around and set out towards exploring Bhairavadurga. Having chosen a
wrong path along with a wrong time for climbing this hill last time, we
ensured all was well during our ascent this time. We inquired about the
right route to the hill top from locals . We began our climb slowly and
steadily and after some time, we came across a fleet of steps which gave
us some relief since the trek until then was quite tiresome. The end
of flight lead us to the first tier of the Fort. Hereon, we followed the
trail up to the next tier and continued until we reached a spot which
looked tricky to climb without any support as it was very steep. There
were remains of iron rods embedded in the rock which probably served as
a support system for climbing. After crossing this, it was a leisure
walk to the top tier. There is a water spring or Dhonne (in Kannada) in
between two massive rocks on the hill top with well laid steps. The
water in this spring never dries up even in the severest of the summers.
There are big boulders and a few ruined structures on the top .The
views from the hill top were outstanding.
 |
| Final Tier of the Fort |
 |
| Spring (or Dhonne in Kannada) |
 |
| Balancing Act |
 |
| Boulders and the Ruined Structure |
 |
| Base of a Grinding Stone |
 |
| Bird's eye view of Kudoor village |
 |
| Glass/ Poly-House |
 |
| Lord Anjaneya |
There is a cave temple dedicated to lord Bhairaveshwara on the other
side of the hill . The Antaragange temple in Kudoor village is
considered to be more ancient than the Fort. Unfortunately, this temple
was closed during our visit.
 |
| View of Shivagange |
 |
| Crumbling Walls |
 |
| Panoramic View |
 |
| Sun Basking |
Directions from Bangalore - NH 48 - Solur - Right Turn -Kudoor -
Left Turn - Travel a kilometer, then take a Left Turn to find an Arch
Entrance - Reach the Fort Base
Distance from Bangalore - 55 km
References:
1.
Navadurgas
2. Deccan Herald
3. Fortmapper
Related Posts:
An Evening at Bekal Fort, Kasaragod
'Bekal Fort' (Wiki)
 |
| Flying High |
 |
| Lonely |
 |
| Waves Kissing the Rock |
 |
| Shadow Play |
 |
| Golden Waves |
 |
| Perfect End to a Hard Day's Work |
 |
| A Photographer at Work |
 |
| Captured |
D S Waterfalls, Sirsi
A friend of ours hailing from North Cannara suggested a great place for a
weekend getaway. It included a nice waterfall with an amazing home
stay, and had to be booked a few days before our visit for their
convenience. While we called them in order to do the same, we found out
that the family offering the home stay were busy at that time since
their town festival was on, and they could not miss it. Thus, we dropped
the idea of home stay though our waterfall plan was still on. Not being
disappointed, we reached the place close by to the falls as suggested
by our friend and from here on we had to inquire about the route from
the locals. To our surprise, none along our way up to a few kilometers
were ready to give directions to the falls while a few went to the
extent of even denying its presence around!!! As we were sure of the
given information, not losing hope, we proceeded further until we
reached a ticket booth .On inquiring here about the falls, though at
first the person seemed hesitant to open up, he gave in as soon as we
quoted the name of the home stay owner. Following the address given by
the person, we drove a long way along dirt tracks and reached a dead end
where we found a house. Wanting to make sure that we reached the right
place, we went in and introduced ourselves and the family living in the
house confirmed their home stay facility and the water falls. This was
the beginning to our most memorable and a wonderful vacation . It was a
paradise beyond words.
The Water fall was located a few meters away from their house. The noise
made by the falls was musical to our ears. We had to trek downwards
along the multi tiered waterfalls to reach the last tier. It was an
amazing experience, standing on the cliff edge and watching the water
fall. It looked as though we stood on the nature's edge. And what a
sight it was! The person who accompanied us to the waterfall was well
aware of the region and its dangers since the place was rocky and quite
slippery at many places. We enjoyed the waterfall for quite sometime
until his son came by and passed on the message that they were getting
late for the festival. Hence we only thought it was right of us to leave
the place immediately without causing any inconvenience to them, though
our hearts were reluctant to leave!
 |
| The Beginning |
 |
| 1st Tier |
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| 1st and 2nd Tier |
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| A Paradise |
 |
| Final Tier |
 |
| Our Guide |
Mountain of Death Kolli Hills
Kolli Hills or Kollimalai,
also called as "the Mountain of Death" is one amongst the many hill
stations of Tamil Nadu. Kolli Hills is located in Namakkal District and
stands at around 1000 to 1300 m above MSL(Mean Sea Level). In the
recent days, the popularity of this hill station is on a rise. It is
also considered as a Herbal hot-spot because of the availability of
various medicinal plants. The place is also associated with pre-historic
ages and various kings and has been mentioned in many Tamil literature
works.
 |
| A beautiful Veiw |
Place to Visit :
 |
| One of Many Beautiful Falls of Kolli Hills |
2. Temples - Lord Arappaleshwara Temple is the main temple on
the Kolli Hills. There are many other temples like the Periswamy temple,
Ettukai Amman temple and so on.
 |
| Lord Arappaleshwara Temple |
 |
| Colorful Shikara |
 |
| GajaLakshmi on the Lintel |
 |
| Decorative Stone Work |
3.
View Points - There are two View Points - Selur View point and Seekuparai View point
4.
Pre-Historic Sites - Siddhar Caves (Caves where Sages lived ), Mudhumakkal Thazhi (Burial Urns).
5.
Many Trekking Routes
Places of Accommodation:
1 N P S Lake View Resort, Semmedu
2 Nallathambi Resort, Semmedu
3 Arrow Mansion, Semmedu
4 Wild Orchid Camp(Kolli Hill Resort),
Vazhavanthi Nadu
5 Govt. Cottages and Rooms are also available
We have not stayed in, or visited any of these Hotel/Resorts, the
above list is an additional information to the tourists visiting this
place.
 |
| Hoarding Depicting the Places of Interest on Kolli Hills |
Peak Season : Last
week of September - First week of January - Last week of March -
Second week of June, though our personal feeling is to visit the place
just after the start of the monsoons (Avoiding heavy rains), as the
entry to the main waterfalls can be closed for public.
 |
| Hairpin Bends |
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH 7 - Hosur - Krishnagiri
- Salem - Rasipuram - Left Turn - Right Turn inside Rasipuram town
-After about 5 km, Right Turn towards Senthamangalam - Left Turn after
25 km (Look for directions board ) - Kolli hills. (About 300 kms from
Bangalore)
Entry fee is collected at the Forest Check Post at base of the Hill.. A Wonderful weekend getaway from Bangalore.
References and Suggested Reading :
1
Trails of a Traveler by Ram
2
Be on the road with Shankara
3
My Travelogue by Bhushavali
4
Wikipedia
A G Waterfalls, Sirsi
As we were enjoying our evening coffee at our new found home stay, our
guide proposed an exciting plan of exploring another waterfall, this
time it sounded more interesting as it was his first time too to that
waterfall! For us, the name of the falls was very new as we had never
heard of it before. And so we hit the dirt road and started following
our guide's directions, which he was unsure about. As expected, we
reached a dead end and decided to back track. Just as we reversed, we
met a person who on inquiring about the route to the waterfall,
volunteered to send his son along, to guide us. The little guy came
along confidently to guide us to the location of the waterfalls.
After walking a few miles in the Areca farm, we reached a stream that
was formed by the water fall. A little further, we spotted the falls
and reached its downstream. Our chances of entering the water pool was
low, as none were sure of the depth of the water and since the water
force was quite high, we did not risk going further. We trekked to the
top o the falls and enjoyed the view from above. Standing on the rock
edge of the waterfalls and surrounded by greenery, the sight was simply
was mesmerizing. Our ears were filled with the sounds made by the
chirping birds and falling waters. It was late evening and the time had
come for the sun to set, giving us an indication that it was our time
to head back and reach our home stay safely.
 |
| A G Falls |
 |
| Kids exploring the Falls |
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| Our Young and Handsome Guide |
 |
| From the Cliff Edge |
 |
| Time to go Home |
Fort Hulukudi
Fort
Hulukudi is one among the many lesser known forts around Bangalore. We had
read about it quite some time back and have always wanted to explore this fort.
One Sunday morning, we set our journey
towards Doddaballapur for exploring Fort Hulukudi. After reaching Doddaballapur,
we took a right turn towards Dabaspet, and on following further instructions
from the locals about directions to the fort, we reached the base of the hillock.
Sadly, the first look of the hillock disappointed us, as there were newly laid
steps all the way up to the hill top and full of pilgrims.
 |
| Hill Hulukudi |
 |
| Entrance Arch |
 |
| Lord Veerabhadra Swamy |
We were in two minds whether to go ahead with the
climb or look for another place around. Somehow, we made up our minds to
proceed with the ascent. After a not so
exciting climb, we reached a tier of the fort which looked like the only
remains of the Fort. Our excitement and enthusiasm
gradually picked up on seeing a few ruined structures a little further, which currently
are being used as a kitchen by the pilgrims. There are two water ponds just by its
side of which, one probably was being used for cleansing one's sins off. We
could see a few pilgrims bathing in this pond. From here, two temples were visible.
 |
| Well Laid Steps |
 |
| Lord Basaveshwara |
 |
| Rock Formation |
 |
| Rock Bee Hives |
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| Grills For The Support While Climbing |
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| Awesome View |
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| Water Pond |
 |
| Temple On The Hill |
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| Broken Nandi |
 |
| Ruined Structures |
The
first temple we visited was dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra Swamy. This temple is
situated inside a cave and the priest was also present during our visit. The priest
narrated the story of the temple and Lord Veerabhadra Swamy. The original temple
was located in a village near by the hill. It is believed that the god one
night decided to leave the village due to the ill-activities of the villagers and
came to this hill and took shelter in the cave. The next day when the
priest in the village opened the temple doors for daily rituals, found the idol
missing and informed the village head. Every one in the village were surprised
and shocked to hear about this. That night, the same priest had dream of the Lord
standing on the hillock and tossing butter-balls with his hands. Thus, the
priest set his journey in search of Lord on this hillock and finally found him
in this cave. The current Priest informed us about the original temple, which
is now in ruins and is located in the village of Thippur, which is about 4 km
from the hill. Here on, we moved to the neighboring temple which was dedicated
to Lord Shiva. This temple was supposed to have a wish Nandi in front of the
Lord, but had been recently damaged during renovation.
 |
| Lord Veerabhadra Swamy |
 |
| The Priest |
 |
| Naga Stones |
 |
| Lord Ganesha |
 |
| Renovated Temple |
After coming out of the temple, we inquired a
person about the fort and any other interesting places around, to which the
reply he gave was rather surprising and exciting!
A Fort and A Lost City - Hulukudi
After a small walk through the village
fields, we reached the forgotten town of Mahdeshwara. At the entrance of this
village was a ruined temple of Lord Shiva and looked quite grand. Our guide left
us to ourselves to enjoy exploring the temple and also mentioned about a small cave
besides the temple. Meanwhile he went to arrange some lunch for us. This temple
was simply beautiful and kudos to our guide and his family who are actually taking
care of this temple inspite of not receiving help from anyone. The Shiva Linga is a large one and resembles Chola architecture.
There is also a Tamil inscription on a stone by the side of the temple.
 |
| Mukaneshwara Temple |
 |
| Decorative Door Frame |
 |
| Interior Decorative Frame Work |
 |
| Art work on the Ceiling |
 |
| Lord Mukaneshwara |
 |
| Tamil Inscription |
 |
| Entrance to the Cave besides the Temple |
The next temple we visited was dedicated to
Lord NarashimaSwamy. This temple currently has been renovated to give it a modern
look. The spacious place all around this temple served as a dinning hall
for us where we were accompanied by two other little friends for a sumptuous
and tasty
lunch comprising of
Bisi Bele Bath (Dal and Rice
with Vegetables) and Kosambari (Dal and
Coconut Salad). After this heavy and much needed lunch, we rested for a while
and walked towards a mantap that housed another huge Nandi. A little further,
we were amazed to see an open air temple of Lord Hanuman. The image of Hanuman
carved on a big rock was magnificent and looked like it had been painted
recently.
 |
| Our Sumptuous Lunch |
 |
| Nandi Mantapa |
 |
| Beautiful Nandi |
 |
| Lord Hanuman |
 |
| Way to Mahdeshwara |
Our journey came to an end here and we walked through the fields
towards our vehicle. We chatted for a while with our guide and then came the
time to say goodbye to him, thus ending one of those journeys, which initially
looked unworthy but later turned out be one of
the most exciting and interesting trips of
ours. We wholeheartedly thank our guide for taking us around this place and
sharing everything he knew and dedicate this to him and his family.
 |
| Hulukudi Veerabhadra Swami |
References :
1
Travel blog .
2
Wikimapia
Acrobatic Lizard
 |
Here I come
|
 |
| Warming Up |
 |
| A Perfect 10 on 10 move! |
 |
| Licrobatics |
 |
| Holding On |
 |
| One Foot Balance |
An amazing display of body balance by a
Lizard, that lasted for about 10 - 12 minutes .
Karnataka: Costal Circuit
Unknown
Karnataka: Costal Circuit
December 2005
Karnataka circuit- 14 Days, 2250 Kms by car
Places covered
Hampi Circuit
Sharvanbelgaon circuit
Karnataka Jain Circuit
Costal Karnataka
Dandeli
Udipi
After visting Vennor we started our onward journey to Udipi.
Distance via Karkala should have been 75 Kms approx. Had to go back and
forth to search a decent hotel, but finally found a decent one. We
Enjoyed evening on Malpe beach.
December 11, 2005, Sunday: Udipi
Early morning we took one hour boat drive to St Marys island which
is a famous picnic spot. Roamed a bit in the city and saw Manipal in
the evening. Manipal is twin city, an educational hub. Huge university
building seemed to resting silently since it was Sunday. After lot of
days we were seeing hustle-bustle and collegians enjoying the lovely
evening.
December 12, 2005, Monday: Udipi-Bhatkal-Murudeshwar (110 kms)
We began our onward journey early morning to Bhatkal.
On the way, we took a 2 hours back water boat ride in a river,
near Marathvana beach. It was beautiful experience with clean water and
thick jungle of coconut trees on both the banks. Somewhere in the middle
the boatman stopped the boat where the water was extremely shallow. We
got down and had fun playing in cool water. The soft silky sand was
tickling us to stay longer.
After refreshing coconut water we started for Bhatkal Market.
Bhatkal, although a very small town, is famous for its items from
foreign market. Right from chocolates to toys you get everything here.
Especially Taiwanese products were in abundance in the tiny shops.
MurudeshwarLater we proceeded to Murudeshwar in the afternoon. I think it was very close to Bhatkal around 15-20 kms.
The name "Murudeshwara" means Shiva or Eeshwara. The significance of this holy town dates to the time of Ramayana. A
huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is
built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the
waters of the Arabian Sea. It is the tallest statue of Shiva in the
world. The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years
to build. A 20-storied-249 feet tall Raja Gopura which is considered the
tallest gopura in the world was being still constructed at the temple.
Two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to
the temple. Everything is well maintained inside the complex with lush
green lawns and a sunset point. The entire temple and temple complex,
including Raja Gopura, is constructed by Mr R. N. Shetty.
We stayed in one of his hotels next to temple complex which had
this statue on one side and endless sea on other side. It was wonderful
experience as all the rooms were overlooking beautiful beach below. In
the evening we enjoyed on the beach.
December 13, 2005, Tuesday: Murudeshwar
We relaxed the beach again in the morning. We spent the day lazily
enjoying the breath taking views and different shades of sunlight
watching the endless tries of water waves to reach further down shores.
In the evening we relished the beautiful sunset.
December 14, 2005, Wenesday: Karwar (120 Kms)
It is said to have inspired Tagore to pen his first drama. The Devbagh
Beach, is a must for beach lovers, a pleasant beach where you can enjoy
beautiful evenings. We arrived alet morning and after checking 2-3
hotels we finally settled in hotel slightly on outskirts. We enjoyed the
evening on beach and long toy-train ride.
http://ekpravas.blogspot.com/2006/01/karnataka-costal-circuit.html
Karnataka: Hampi Circuit
Unknown
Decemeber 2005
Karnataka circuit- 14 Days, 2250 Kms by car
Places covered
Hampi Circuit
Sharvanbelgaon circuit
Karnataka Jain Circuit
Costal Karnataka
Dandeli
December 4, 2005, Sunday: Pune-Kholapur-Nipani-Staundi-Kothali-Mudhol (375 Kms approx)
We started at morning around 8 am. We reached around 12.30/1pm a
place called Staundi which is just after Nipani on Pune-Banglore highway
(0.5 hrs after Kolhapur). The 275 Kms Drive was pleasant. After
visiting the Jain temple we had lunch and we proceeded to a place called
Mudhol. Mudhol should be close to 100 Kms. On the way we visited
another marvelous Jain temple at place called Kothali. The roads were pretty bad as this was internal road. We reached at around 5pm and stayed at Hotel called Kollar.
December 5, 2005, Monday: Mudhol-Badami-Pattadakkal-Aihole-Hospet (275 Kms)After
having breakfast in the early morning and started at again 8 am to
reach Badami around 10.30am. Not sure but this be close to 100 Kms. The
red colored mud road where tar was virtually non-existent for half of
the drive also had huge potholes and large stones.
We went directly to Badami caves which are picturesquely located
on a mountain overlooking a large reservoir of water. (The famous scenes
from movie Guru were shot here later). There were 4 big rock-cut caves
with some carvings on a steep mountain. There are proper steps to climb.
The largest and most ornamental is the third cave dedicated to Vishnu.
Afterward we visited the famous Devi temple and proceeded to
Pattadakkal.
Pattadakkal
Pattadakkal is 30/40 Kms away from Badami. There is large area with
beautiful temples build by Vikramaditya II of Dravidian, Aryan and
north-Indian styles all at one place with marvelous carvings. The
temples are called Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna. And this was where the
crowning ceremony of the king had happened. After visiting a Jain
Basadi with two large elephants in the front we had lunch in the garden
nearby and proceeded to Aihole.
Aihole
Aihole is some 15 Kms from Pattadakkal. Called as ‘Cradle of
Indian Architecture’, Aihole is said to have close to hundred temples
mostly in ruins scattered all around the village. We could locate only
one temple is re-constructed properly. After visiting that proceeded to
Hospet
Hospet
Aihole to Hospet is close to 120 Kms. We reached Hospet at around 8.30 and stayed at KTDC hotel. This was a pretty long day.
December 6, 2005, Tuesday: Hampi
Early morning we had a huge breakfast in a big fast food joint
called Shanbag. Any Dosa item - Masala, set, sada doas all were for 10
Rs. Idly, Idly-Vada was for only 6 Rs!!! After heavy breakfast we
proceeded to Hampi.
Hampi, called the land of surprises was discovered by two local
princes- Hakka and Bukka. The mighty and wealthy Vijaynagar empire was
fallen after combined attack of Muslim Sulatans of Deccan in 1565 AD.
The current allowed visiting area was spread over 25 acres with
well built internal roads but completely isolated. Guides were available
at 500/- front gate. For all the places we had to go by car, visit and
then proceed further. The list is endless- 6.7m tall Ugra Narshima
seated under 7 hooded snake, 3 ft tall Gigantic Shivalinga which is
permanently in water, The beautiful architected Hindu-Muslim fusion
styles of Lotus Mahal, Virupakha Bazar, 15m square and 1.8m deep stone
structured Queens bath, Erotic sculptures on Achut Raya temple--- all
are fascinating!
At one point I accidentally forgot my keys inside!!! Some of the
nearby drivers helped. After removed the Driver seat window lining we
succeeded after almost an hours try!
In the evening we returned to Hospet, had lunch at same shanbag (Rs15 for mini meal)/Idli/Dosa..
Karnataka: Dandeli
Unknown
December 2005
Karnataka circuit- 14 Days, 2250 Kms by car
Places covered
Hampi Circuit
Sharvanbelgaon circuit
Karnataka Jain Circuit
Costal Karnataka
Dandeli
December 15, 2005, Thursday: Dandeli (93 Kms)We
decided to take road through Dandeli to Belgaum. Well Dandeli was not a
planned visit and I had decided if we do find a good place then only we
would stay back. Luck was on our side.
In afternoon we came across awesome KTDC resort right in the heart of Jungle - a place called
Kulgi
Kulgi Nature Camp is located at a distance of around 14 km from
the Dandeli National Park. This camp has small museum, nature
interpretation centre. It is located on the Ambika Nagar- Yellapur Road.
It has beautiful tents – not swiss tents but pretty similar. The
interiors were very pleasant- with coir matting, two clean beds and
chairs. The restrooms were common and located slightly away. The
management couple was very helpful. We were the only ones staying for
that night in the whole camp of 15 tents. Seemed bit scary at first...
In the evening we took a safari ride. Saw bison, junglee hen,
deers, monkeys and few birds in or 3 hours ride. Its very thick forest,
tall trees, very well preserved. The temperature dropped in the evening
and it was chilling. Had hot pithali-bhakri, first maharashtrian lunch
in the trip after long time., first time ever we started our picnic.
It is said that the cave with Shivalinga-like laterite formations
is also well worth a visit but could not get a chance to visit.
December 16, 2005, Friday: Belgaum (80 Kms)On 16
the morning we started for Belgaum. Had flat tyre in the resort itself.
After changing the tyre we proceeded to Belgaum. Reached in the
afternoon. We chose to stay on Poona highway. After some shopping, went
to Maruti service station in the evening to check the damage. They
assured me everything was okay and need not worry about oil tank etc.
December 17, 2005, Saturday: Pune (336 Kms)Drove back via Karad. Reached pune in the afternoon.
It was awesome trip that would be cherished forever!!!
Karnataka: Jain Circuit
Unknown
December 2005
Karnataka circuit- 14 Days, 2250 Kms by car
Places covered
Hampi Circuit
Sharvanbelgaon circuit
Karnataka Jain Circuit
Costal Karnataka
Dandeli
This was perfect Jain trail!
December 10, 2005, Saturday: Dharmsthal-Karkala-Mudbidri-Vennur-Udupi (180 Kms)Stayed
a decent hotel, can’t remember the name. The city itself is pilgrim
city and famous for Lord Manjunath-Shiva temple. Dharamsthala, renowned
as Kuduma eight centuries ago, is a famous pilgrim location of Jains.
Dharmasthal is famous for 39 feet high Gomateshwara (Lord Bahubali) (175
tons) statue. We visited the statue in
KarkalaFrom Dharmsthal we proceeded to Karkala, should be around 65 Kms.
Karkala is well known for its massive 42 feet monolithic statue of
Gomateshwara (Lord Bahubali), the son of the first Jain Tirthankar,
believed to have been built around 1432 AD. The first name of this town
was Pandya Nagari, named during the Jain regime, but afterwards it was
changed to Karikallu because of black stones. It is located atop a hill,
called the Bahubali hill. It is a towering monolithic granite structure
and one among the five main Gomateshwaras in the state. From the base
of the hill, a slightly curving set of steps, quite steep in places,
leads visitors to the top and a tar road also leads for vechiles. The
top provides panoramic views of the surrounding areas including the
famous Ramasamudra lake.
Apart from Karkala Gomateshwara the other Jain monuments worthy of
a visit in Karkala are the Chaturmukha Basadi, which is so called
because it has four entrances, and is believed to have been built in the
mid 16th century by King Bhairasa the Second. It has beautiful high
ceilings and has shrines dedicated to three Jain Tirthankaras Sri Arhat,
Malli and Suvrate apart from smaller images of 24 Tirthankaras.
Moodabidri ( Mudabdri)
We proceeded to our next destination- Mudbidri which should have been
around 20 Kms from Karkala. Moodabidri (also called Mudabidri), an
ancient center of Jain learning, is a small town situated at a beautiful
spot in the midst of hills.
Moodabidri was a center of Jain religion, culture, art and
architecture during 14th - 16th centuries. It is famous as the "Jaina
Kashi" of the South.
Amongst the 18 Basadi, the most famous are Ammanavara Basadi, Guru
Basadi and Tribhuvan Tilak Chudamani Basadi. While the magnificent
stucco images in Leppada Basadi are a must see, do not miss the
Parshawanatha stone idol in the Guru Basadi. The rare Jain palm leaf
manuscripts, also famous as 'Dhavala texts' are preserved in this
Basadi.
Tribhuvan Tilak Chudamani Basadi or the Thousand Pillar Temple is
ornately carved in the Vijayanagar style and is the largest amongst all.
This was built around 1430 AD, and is a spectacular piece of
architecture. The basadi’s pillars are each constructed in a different
style, depicting the architectural techniques of various eras. The
pillars and the roof this open hall are decorated with beautiful and
minute carvings typical of Vijayanagara style. The 15-meter tall
freestanding single stone pillar called manasthambha in front of the
basadi, is indeed a beautiful art.
There were small stautes of tirthankaras made of gems - daimonds, ruby, neelmani etc.
Vennur (Venoor)
From Mudbidri we went to Vennur which is 20 kms approx.
Venur or Venoor is a small village on the banks of the Phalguni
river in the South Kanara of Karnataka, India. It was once the main
center of Jainism. It was the capital of the Ajila Dynasty and one of
the most prominent Kings of them. Thimmanna Ajila built a colossus of
Gommateshwara 35 feet high in 1604 A.D. He was a direct descendant of
Chamundaraya, who built one at Shravanbelgola.
The statue stands facing westward on a high platform on the banks
of the river Phalguni. The statue is supposed to have been sculptured by
Amarashilpi Jakanachari.
Karnataka: Sharvanbelgaon circuit
Unknown
Karnataka: Sharvanbelgaon circuit
December 2005
Karnataka circuit- 14 Days, 2250 Kms by car
Places covered
Hampi Circuit
Sharvanbelgaon circuit
Karnataka Jain Circuit
Costal Karnataka
Dandeli
December 7, 2005, Wednesday: Hospet-Chitadurga-Sharvanbelgaon.(400 Kms)We
proceeded to our next destination -Shravanbelgaon. This was the longest
journey of around 400 Kms. Hospet to Chitragdurga was 150 Kms via
Kudligi. After a hearty lunch we proceeded without entering the city.
We had to leave highways and again take a internal road. I guess
proceeded via Hiryur. The road had scenic beauty with
teak/supari/coconut plantations, almost a jungle, but indeed a bad road
with huge potholes. Was driving at 50/60kms per hour when I missed one
such pothole and the oil tank was hit with oil leaking heavily. Luckily
we realized it on a highway near a road cross. We had to wait for 2.5
hours while the mechanic repaired the oil tank. We reached
Shravanbelagaon late at night. We stayed at Dharmashala.
December 8, 2005, Thursday: Sharvanbelgaon.
Early morning we climbed the steep hill with 650 steps. This is
one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India, and is
known for its 1000 years old gigantic (57 feet) colossal monolithic
statue of Gomateswara, on top of a hill.
The word "Sravanbelagola" means the Monk of the White Pond
(Sravana means Monk and belagola means a White Pond). The statue of
Gomateshwara was erected during the reign of the Ganga King, Rachamalla,
under the patronage of his minister Chamundrayar and by sculptor
Aristenemi (981 AD). The Mahamastakabhishek is held once in 12 years,
when the Gomateswara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron, gold coins
and hundreds of flowers. The next Mahamastakabhishek would be 2018.
In the evening, we climbed another small hill probably Chandragiri
(or was it vindhyagiri?), where there more of 10th century temples.
December 9, 2005, Friday: Sharvanbelgaon-Hassan-Halebidu-Dharmsthal (200 Kms)Next day,we proceeded for Halebid-Bellur. On the way we had a hearty breakfast in Hassan at relatives place.
Halebid is 40 kms from Hassan and around 100 kms from
Shravanbelgaon. Halebid and Belur are known for the Hoysala temples,
which are world famous for their sculptures and architecture. It is said
that they were being built for 150yrs and 3 generations were working on
it. These temples are cut from soft stone allowing for very intricate
carvings on the walls. Halebid (Hale’beedu) literally means ‘the ruined
city’. During the 12th and 13th centuries AD, it flourished as the
capital of the Hoysala Dynasty for about 150 years. It was also then
known as Dwarasamudra (gateway to the seas). However, invaders who
robbed it of its treasures, leaving behind the ruins of the
once-magnificent Shiva temple, twice attacked it. The Hoysalas then
shifted their capital to Belur, leaving behind Halebid, a city once
grand and since reduced to poverty and ruins.
Halebid
The astounding 12th century twin Shiva temple in hallebid,
Hoysaleshwara, is unique for its two shrines in the Linga form and
gigantic figures of Nandi (sacred bull). It is actually two temples
attached along the north-south axis by pillared walls. This temple is
twice the size of Belur's Chennakeshava Temple and the figures are
larger as well. Infront of the Hoysaleshwara is the Nandimantapa and
behind that is a shrine of Surya with a two-metre-tall image. Outer
walls have various sculptures depicting Ramayana, Mahabharata and
Bhagvadgeeta. The guide showed how tiny carvings were, where even a
needle can be inserted in the carvings.
Bellur
Bellur is 20/30 kms away. The intricate workmanship leaves you
speechless in Channakeshava temple which is the only temple still in use
for people to offer prayers. It is the most marvelous specimen of
Hoysala architecture - the angled bracket figures depicting celestial
nymphs are found here.
In order to commemorate his victory over the Cholas in the battle
of Talkad, King Vishnuvardhana built Belur Temple in 1117 A.D. It took
103 years to complete. When you complete the tour of endless carvings on
outside from elephants to epics to sensuous dancers the inner part with
hand-lathe huge pillars still surprise you. This Forty-six pillars
support the extensive hall, each of a different design. The Narasimha
pillar could be rotated at will!
Well whatever you write, words can pen down the beauty of these
fantabulous pieces of art. One must see to believe this craftsmanship.
Later we proceeded to Dharmsthal. There was huge ghat of around
40-50 kms with lots of risky U-turns. But it offered a great panoramas
view of mountains. Reached Dharmasthal late at night.
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