Team G Square Karnataka blog 6

 

Balagondarayanadurgam Fort, Krishnagiri, A Trek nearby Bengaluru

As I was researching on 'Baramahal' or the 'Twelve Forts' built around Krishnagiri during the reign of the Vijayanagara Kings, I stumbled upon the fort of 'Balagondarayanadurgam'/'Balakondarayadurga'. 'Balagondarayanadurgam' is located between the towns of Shoolagiri and Krishnagiri. On a Saturday morning, we decided to trek this hill and explore it. It is a fairly big hill with the Bala Kondarayaswamy Thirukkoil (temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu) at its top. We reached the hill base without any difficulty and found a series of well laid steps up to the hill top. There was a small hut at the base of the hill where we could see the fort remains. An elderly couple lived here and as we conversed, we realized they speak the language of Kannada and hence started inquiring about this place.

Balagondarayanadurgam 

Bala Kondarayaswamy Thirukkoil

Trek Leader

Camouflaged Lizard

 The elderly person started narrating the history of this place and told us an interesting legend which was as follows,"Once upon a time when this place was under attack by the Nizam, the local army was on the verge of defeat. It is believed that sensing this defeat, Lord Vishnu hid himself inside a cave here after transforming into a young boy. When the army of the Nizam came to plunder this temple, they found no murti inside and decided to leave the place without causing any damage or destruction. The Lord has stayed inside the cave ever since, thus the name Bala Kondaraya swamy". Later a murti of Lord Venkataramana was installed here. The ascent was pretty simple and straight forward. Meanwhile a group of people were already climbing the hill. One of them, who seemed very elderly was also carrying a big vessel full of prasadam to the temple at the top. It was a good opportunity for us to lend a helping hand and so we did by sharing the good deed of carrying the prasadam. There is also a small temple dedicated to Lord  Anjaneya on the way to the top. There are many water ponds on the hill of which one is currently being used by the temple folks.

Fort Entrance

Remains of Fort Wall

He Man (Carrying Such Heavy Vessel At this Age to the top)

Sharing is Caring

Finally as we made it to the top of the hill, we could see the remains of fortification here. In the temple, the curtain remained closed as it was time for the daily rituals of the Lord and hence we decided to finish our breakfast, the very yummilicious Bisi Bele Bath along with chips!! In no time we emptied all our packed food. Meanwhile, the Archakaru (temple priest) was ready for the puja. We took the blessings of the Lord and visited the near by cave where the Lord originally resided.  The murti here was small yet very beautiful. There is another big water pond a little away from the temple and down the hill by the side of which is a small shrine dedicated to Lord Vinayaka. There are a few caves nearby this water pond wherein the guards probably took shelter. The descent was uneventful. 

Although not much of the history pertaining to this fort is known, the fort seems to have been built post 16th century by the then feudal king under the declining rule of the Vijayanagara kings. The fort is simple in construction and probably served as a military outpost, which today is in complete shambles.

Lord Anjaneya

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Akka Thangi Honda (See the color difference)

Ustav Murti

Bala Kondaraya Swamy

Reflections

Orange Wasp

The temple here is functional only on Saturdays and full moon days, so visits must be planned accordingly. 

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Monday, February 4, 2019

Sunrise Trek to Huthridurga - Uttari Betta, Treks Around Bengaluru

'Huthridurga/Hutridurga', also popularly called as 'Uttari Betta' among the trekking community is one among the popular trekking trails around Bengaluru. It is rated as one of the easiest treks around Bengaluru suitable for all age groups. It is a great place for beginners who desire to trek. A word of caution for first time trekkers is to better be accompanied by people who are familiar with this place. Huthridurga is about 55 km from Bengaluru and is one of the Navadurgas (nine forts) built by Sri Kempegowda. This fort was built in the 16th century CE and has later undergone a few modifications during the reign of Hyder/Tippu and the British rule. 

We, from #RTCBengaluru had planned a drive cum trek to Huthridurga this Sunday. Though initially many were interested to join the trek,  the number gradually decreased as the week progressed and after the last minute dropouts, our group comprised of 6 adults and 2 kids. We started our journey on time to Huthridurga and traveled in 2 vehicles. We started from home around 3:15am early morning although our scheduled time of departure was 3:00am. We were a few minutes late as we were waiting for one of our friends to join us. Unfortunately, he failed to pick our call and without wasting any more time we drove to our next assembly point which was Magadi Road. The rest of the group  were already present there. We joined them around 3:45 am and began our drive to Huthridurga, via Magadi.
Since it was that hour of the day when traffic is the least, we were able to cross Magadi in time and reach Huthridurga crossing at 4:45 am as per our plan. Here on we had to drive on a small section of ghat road and as we drove ahead, we were informed that Ravi Sir's vehicle had a break down. An inspection of the vehicle revealed that the issue was with one of the tensioner pulleys that had given way.  A wise decision of stopping the car was made to avoid any further problem. We were a little ahead of them and had to return to check on the situation. The vehicle was parked by the road side leaving enough space for the movement of other vehicles without any hindrance. All of us now drove ahead in one vehicle and reached  Huthridurga which was about 1 km from here. We decided to complete our trek first and check on the availability of a mechanic after our descent. 

Crescent Shaped Moon

We found a proper place for parking at the hill base and started our trek  at 5:15 am. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the top of the hill including a 10 minute break, under the clear black sky dotted with millions of stars and the lone crescent shaped moon. At the break point, I tried my hand at photographing the stars though I couldn't manage capturing a decent picture of the star lit sky. I realized that I should spend some more quality time to learn photographing the skies! We were greeted by a carving of Lord Anjaneya housed in a shelter a little further from here. We trekked  at a slow pace and reached the peak top comfortably. The weather was quite windy and chilly up there and amidst this, we patiently waited for the sun to rise. There is a temple atop the hill built by Sri Kempegowda dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is Sri Sankeshwara Temple which houses a shivalinga with an idol of Lord Nandi opposite to it. Attached on one side to the temple is a mantapa with pillars and roof covered with stone slabs. While my wife and kids took shelter inside the temple to keep themselves warm, the rest of us made ourselves comfortable and took respective positions so we could catch the first glimpse of sunrise.

Yes! He Finally Arrives!

Lord Surya above Savanadurga Hill

What a View!

It was cold and quite breezy, and finally at 6:50 am the Sun made his appearance just like the description of Lord Surya arriving on his seven horsed chariot! Every Sunrise is a unique experience. For the next 20 minutes we enjoyed the showdown utilizing every opportunity for photo ops. After the sun rose and the weather turned warmer, we decided to explore the other portions of the fort. We spent some time between the boulders that acted as wind breakers for having snacks and chatting. Finally we descended and reached the starting point where we again halted for a short break to bask under the sun. It was time for breakfast as we all were quite hungry and drove down towards the town of Magadi for some hot Thatte Idli's (Plate Idli's) and filter coffee. After satisfying our hungry stomachs, our next job was to find a mechanic to fix the car, but being a Sunday most of the shops around remained closed. A few who were open were quite reluctant and refused to come along as the destination was quite far. Meanwhile Ravi Sir contacted his regular mechanic who agreed to come by and fix the car. We dropped everyone at the required stops and reached home safely. The weather turned pretty hot along our return journey and we were only reminded of how pleasant it was atop the hill amidst nature! We were informed by evening that Ravi sir got his vehicle repaired and reached home safely. He is quite an inspiration for all of us and his stories kept us engaged all through our trek and drive. It was yet another great experience. 

Kempasagar Lake

Team on the Top

Trek, Trail and Tales

The Trek Team
1. Teamgsquare (Me, Amrutha, Adhi and Diya) in our Loyal Xylo
2. Ravi Shankar in Mahindra Scorpio
3. Vishwas Gowda, Natesha and Shiva Prakash, car pooled

Related Posts:
1. Moonlit Sunrise Trek to Channagiri 
2. 101 Places to Visit Around Bengaluru
3. Channarayana Durga Fort

Friday, February 1, 2019

Raichur Fort / ರಾಯಚೂರು ಕೋಟೆ

Raichur Fort /  ರಾಯಚೂರು  ಕೋಟೆ

A visit to Raichur was pending for a long time and had remained as one of the districts which was less explored by us in the state of Karnataka. Hence we decided to visit the magnificent fort of Raichur at the least. This time we chose to travel by train in order to reduce the driving load and more importantly, to test our ability of having to travel with our little partners!! Raichur is one of the blessed districts of Karnataka in terms of it geographical positioning owing to its location between the two mighty rivers of Krishna and Tungabhadra, making it one of the most fertile regions of Karnataka. Raichur today is most famous for its Thermal Power Station at Shakthinagar situated about 18 km from Raichur and is also known for trading of cotton. This place is of considerable antiquity, right from the prehistoric period to the period of struggle for Independence. The village of Maski is very well known for the Ashokan edicts found here which is believed to have been inscribed in the 3rd century BCE. This is one of the rare edicts where King Ashoka has been referred to as Devanamapriya and Priyadarshi. Also, the Hatti Gold Mines is the only operational goldmine in India and is located in Raichur.

Bala Hisar and Fortifications

Raichur Lake

While 'Raichur' was earlier known by the names of 'Rachavoor' or 'Rachanoor', it was later called as Rayachooru. The Fort of Raichur was in existence much before the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana captured this place in 1150 CE. The fort was built by the Kalyana Chalukyas and later expanded by Raja Vitthala under the able leadership of Kakatiya Queen Rudramma Devi in 1294. The same has been documented in the long inscription found near the second doorway of the fort, inside the Mecca darwaza.

Telugu Inscription Describing the Construction of this Fort

While most of the fortification was built by the Kakatiya and Vijayanagara Kings, a few later additions and repair works were undertaken by the Bahmanis and Adil Shahis. Though Malik Kafur captured this fort in 1312, it was subsequently captured and strengthened by the Vijayanagara Kings. Post the fall of Vijayanagara kingdom, the Bahmanis occupied this place and was later ruled by the Bijapur Sultans, Mughals and the Nizams.

Top Most Fortification

Fort Wall and Raichur Town

Exiting the Dragon

That Sunday morning after having a  good breakfast at Hotel Udupi near the railway station, we took a rickshaw up to the base of the fort.  The driver dropped us behind the fort which was a slum like colony that slowly crept into the fort area. The ascent from here was quite easy along the well laid steps built during the 15th century. Within no time we reached the first entrance of the fort and a short trek from hereon took us to the top most portion of the fort. The Bala Hisar (citadel) situated here, which is occupied by the durbar hall which is a double three arched and triple domed strucutre. There is a big damaged cannon in the premises.  There is also a small mosque built in Bijapura style, with a single arch and two slim minarets. Besides this is a structure that seems like the remains of a small Mantapa associated with a temple, though no traces of any temple were found around. Behind the durbar hall and amidst the rocks is a beautiful carving of Lord Nandi in a seated position. It was very disheartening to see that only the lower portion of the Bull remained intact with no trace of it's head.

The Cannon

Bala Hisar

Small Mosque built in Bijapura Style

Broken Nandi Murti

We started our descent in the other direction, towards the Mecca Darwaza. On reaching the bus stand, we stopped by for a tea break. While we were walking towards the Mecca Darwaza, I spotted a few carvings on the walls inside the recently built Indira canteen campus. I decided to go ahead and check them out only to find inscriptions in Telugu which speaks about how the large boulders were hauled by buffaloes for building the fort walls. It then struck to me that the official website of Raichur district gave a description similar to what I had witnessed.  It quotes, "A little distance to the right of the above epigraph, is depicted the process by which the large inscribed slab was brought from the quarry to the site, laden on a solid-wheeled cart drawn by a long team of buffaloes with men driving and cudgelling the animals and applying levers at the wheels to push the cart forward. The artistic treatment in delineating the line of buffaloes in perspective, and the lively and graphic expression of the strain on them as represented by means of depicting some with tongues lolling out of their mouths, some with bent waists, and others with tails curled and lifted up as is usually seen when these animals are put to extra strain, is indeed a marvel of the art of drawing, particularly when the age of the work is taken into consideration. Further to the right is carved a procession scene of six chariots, drawn by humped bulls with decorative collars round their necks, and a little distance to the south is carved a forest scene with palmyra trees. On various other slabs in the same wall are incised floral and foliage designs as well as numerous figures of men engaged in various activities, and also animals and birds, like bulls, elephants, boars, jackals, cocks, peacocks, geese, etc., all executed in the same delightful manner".  Hurriedly and with excitement, I went back to bring my wife and two little partners to witness this marvel. My wife was stunned after looking at the carvings! It surely was an amazing experience for all of us to see these beautiful and unique carvings that gave us a clear picture of how the huge sized stone slabs were actually laid one above the other and how the fort wall was really built.

Long Team of Buffaloes Pulling the Rock Slab on a Solid Wheeled Cart

6 Chariots, drawn by Humped Bulls

Notice the Huge Size of the Rock Slabs used for Constructing the Fort Wall

Close up of the Solid Wheeled Cart

Hereon we reached the Mecca Darwaza which has been neatly restored by the ASI and has 2 two security personnel in charge of taking care and maintenance. After entering the necessary details in the visitor's book, we proceeded further. The entire gateway and the fort wall of Mecca Darwaza was built during the reign of the Vijayanagara kings, which is quite evident by the presence of carvings such as elephants, peacocks, Lord Anjaneya and other gods/goddesses on its walls. There are a few cannons belonging to the later period kept for display. We explored further on the other side of the fort wall along the moat and found more Hindu carvings. Owing to the persian inscription found atop the fort entrance, some historians claim that the fort walls were built by the Bahmanis, although it is much clear that it belongs to a much earlier period than the Bahmani rule.

Cannon placed at Mecca Darwaza

Mecca Darwaza and the Moat around it

Elephant Carvings on the Wall of Mecca Darwaza

Lord Garuda

Lord Bhikshatana Murti with various Mystical Animals

Our next destination was the most beautiful fort entrance named 'Navarang Dwara' or 'Navarang Darwaza'. This is probably one of the most beautiful fort entrances we have seen till date. It is a classical representation of Vijayanagara Art and Architecture. However, this place now has been converted into a museum and photography has been prohibited. 

Navaranga Dwara

Interiors of Navaranga Dwara

Intricate Carvings

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After spending some time here, we inquired about Gowdra Mane (the royal house) which supposedly houses many beautiful murals belonging to the 19th century. The ASI staff at the museum were kind enough to give us directions to this place. We managed to find an auto rickshaw with great difficulty and the driver agreed to drop us at the old house. Surprisingly not many were aware of such a place around. After many inquiries with the locals, we landed right in front of this beautiful royal house. The exteriors of the house seemed very grand and we were much excited to have a look at what was in store for us. However, the house was locked for interior repairs and we were informed that the family had shifted only recently to another house in the town. We met the neighbors and exchanged our phone numbers so we could try and visit the house the next time. After watching our curiosity to enter the royal house, the auto driver too turned equally curious about the entire situation! Unfortunately, we couldn't make it into the royal house that day. We had to catch our train and hence requested our auto driver to drop us back at our hotel.

Koti Darwaza 

The Royal House - Gowdra Mane

Projected Balcony of the Royal House

References:
1. Karnataka Tourism Gazetteer - Gulbarga
2. Raichur Official Website
3. Journeys across Karnataka

Related Posts:
1. Mulbagal Fort
2. Madhugiri Fort
3. Tumkooru Fort

Moonlit Sunrise Trek to Channagiri

RTC Bengaluru's plan for a drive-cum-trek to Skandagiri to witness the beautiful sunrise amidst the clouds was organized on the 20th of January this year. The event was led by us (teamgsquare), Prateek (Mystic Rider) and Shashank Gowda (localite). After many people showing their interest in joining the drive/trek, around 40 people were confirmed for the trek. While Trigo (Prashanth) along with his 4 friends were joining us from Hyderabad, the rest were from 'Namma Bengaluru'! After many discussions with the leads regarding the trek type and route, we finally zeroed in on the regular Sunrise trek to Skandagiri.  The D-day arrived and bang on! All the participants had gathered in front of Esteem mall, Hebbala by 1.30 am as per the schedule. It was quite surprising and rare to see all the trek participants gather within the said time. From here began our much awaited journey to reach above the clouds! We numbered 37 in total, traveling in 6 cars and 4 bikes.

All Set  to Vroom!!

By 2.45 am we reached the temple of Sri Bhoga Nandeeshwara  at Nandi and were waiting for Shashank's arrival. After waiting for nearly 25 minutes with no fruitful result, we decided to head on towards Skandagiri to secure a place for parking our vehicles. By the time we reached here, we were shell-shocked to see an ocean of people thronging to get the permit to trek. A rough estimate of the number of people would be around 2k,with each one trying to squeeze in and fight in order to secure a place for the trek. Meanwhile, Shashank along with his two friends joined us at the Skandagiri parking lot. Seeing the huge crowd of people assembled and the number of incoming people, the trek leads, without a second thought decided to forgo the scheduled trek at Skandagiri and instead trek the neighboring hill of Channagiri. Although our idea was good, we were now stuck in the parking lot as the chaos at Skandagiri had only started to build up. With the forest guard's denial of permission to trek and the increasing number of people, the parking was jammed with no movement of vehicles on either of the directions. Besides, time was running out as we were bent upon doing a sunrise trek, somehow! Finally Shashank along with a few locals helped cleared the mess and without wasting any more time, we drove towards Channagiri, located about 14 km from here.

Moon and his Reflection on Water

After reaching the hill base of Channagiri, we realised that the members of a car and bike who were supposed to be following us had missed their route. All of us were waiting for them to join us to start the trek. Although the biker was able to locate us, the ones in the car had driven off to some other place. Prateek and Shashank tried their best to trace the car back until they gave up, after Arvind from that car informed them about being run out of fuel and also being quite far away from the destination. Unfortunately, the four from Arvind's vehicle couldn't join us. Once the rest of the team were back to the hill base of Channagiri, the trek began under the moonlight. We were down to 36 plus +3 infants and had to reach the peak of Channagiri before Sunrise. Thus began our conquest of Channagiri hill. Though at the outset it seemed like a small hill to trek, we realized after trekking a while that it was no joke to conquer this peak. Having read about this hill before, I was quite sure that this was going to be one heck of a trek.

 Descent

'Channagiri' is one among the 5 main hill peaks of the Nandi hill-range, the others being Nandi, Bramhagiri, Skandagiri and Kaurava Kunda. Channagiri is the second tallest peak of this range, only after Nandi hills. There are basically two routes to this hill peak. The easier route starts from Sultanpet via well laid steps and is taken during early morning treks so as to catch the sunrise. The less easier route is through the forest via Channapura, which is a longer and steeper trail. Thanks to Shashank who lead us to the second route via Channapura forest. Everybody started the trek and the entire hill belonged to us at that moment! This route was surely a blessing in disguise for us when compared to trekking at Skandagiri. It would've been more like walking in a fair amongst thousands of people had we trekked Skandagiri. It was a decision well-made and in-time, most importantly with the consent of all the participants. Our only goal now was to make it to the peak top of Channagiri. We were now racing against time for the sunrise!

Good Morning

Kalyani

Armed with torches and accompanied by the lovely moon-light, our trek went on smoothly. The terrain was quite steep and rocky mostly, while at a few places we had to pass through thorny vegetation.  The Trigo group were ahead of us while the rest of the team trekked together, until at a point where Ravi sir's wife started to feel a bit uneasy. As the terrain would only get more difficult to climb, sir made the right decision of halting their trek at this point and stayed by his partner. Kudos to you both sir for making it up till here! The rest of us continued our trek amidst laughter, fun, music and halts at regular intervals. We finally reached a point from where it seemed like the trek was complete. But it was a 'so close, yet so far' kind of a situation! We motivated ourselves to keep going and our final ascent to the peak top was quite steep. Slowly and steadily, one by one, all  the participants reached the top and picked up their spots for photography. We were just in time to catch a glimpse of the Sunrise, although coming in a few minutes earlier would've surely helped! Unfortunately for us that day, the skies were clear with no signs of any clouds. A small bonfire was set up to make ourselves warm.

Beautiful Morning Sky

Skandagiri

There is a small beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya/Hanuman at the top. After taking his blessings and spending some time enjoying the sunrise, chit-chatting and munching on snacks, we began our descent from behind the peak. However, a few of them decided to stay back for photo ops. Our descent was quite tiring and as we were all extremely hungry, we wanted to make it to the base as early as possible. We met Ravi sir's family along, who were eagerly waiting for us. We finally  reached the place where we had parked our vehicles. A small lake besides our car park made the entire setup look more beautiful. We were now waiting for our breakfast to be served! While Shashank checked upon the breakfast arrangements, we all rested and waited for the others to join us. Though our initial plan was to have breakfast near the village of Nandi, we decided to serve the breakfast at the hill base only as a few of them were yet to complete the trek. While some team mates (Chaluve Gowda sir and family and Vishwa) decided to move on without having breakfast, the others spent time chatting and having fun. I and Shashank left to bring the breakfast. As we brought the breakfast, our last few team-mates had just made it to the parking and their timing was perfect!  The breakfast comprised of Idli, Vada, Chitranna (lemon-rice), Chutney and the famous Mysore Pak. The food was very delicious, especially the combination of lemon-rice and the spicy chutney. We were happy people now and turned pretty lazy and reluctant to leave this wonderful place.

Second Serving (PC : Prateek)

Munch Time (PC: Prateek)

The sad truth was that we had to head back home. We planned to take a small break over tea/coffee in between along the highway. However, due to a small confusion caused by me, we ended up reaching Shashank's farm instead. Prateek and the biker gang decided to ride ahead, halt by a tea shop and wait for us to join. Meanwhile, we dropped the Trigo group at Shashank's place from where they were heading back to Hyderabad. But by the time Prateek shared their location of the tea shop, we were already on the Rajanakunte road towards Yelahanka, much ahead of them! We somehow couldn't make it to our tea/coffee break to bid our good-bye's to the team. All of us headed back to our homes after ending one of the most memorable treks! Kudos to the team for completing the trek! 

Group Photo (Bigger the group, more difficult to organize for a group photo!; PC: Prateek)

The Trek Team

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1. Teamgsquare (Me, Amrutha, Adhi and Diya) in our loyal Mahindra Xylo 

2. Abhyuday, Tarun and Arjun in Toyota Etios 

3. Chaluve Gowda and Family in Volkswagen Polo 

4. Satishewara with 2 kids in Mahindra Bolero 

5. Ravi Shankar and Family in Mahindra Scorpio

6. Arvind and his 3 friends in Maruti Alto 

7. Shashank, Rocky and Abhi in Mahindra Thar 

8. Prateek and Shikha in Yamaha R15

9. Gaurang, Maaz and Himanshu in their Bikes 

10. Vishwas and Hiren in Pulsar 150 cc

11. Chaitra, Anuradha, Madhu, Rashmi and Akshata, car pooled with others

12. Trigo Prashanth, Naveen, Sadik, Niranjan and Sachin, car pooled with others

Related Post:
1. A night trek to Skandagiri  
2. 101 places to visit around Bengaluru 
3. Channarayanadurga 

Friday, January 18, 2019

Ratnagiri Fort - Hosur, Krishnagiri

Ratnagiri Hill Fort

The 12 forts built in and around Krishnagiri by the Vijayanagar Kings to protect their territory were collectively called as the 'Baramahal'. After successfully capturing the 'Navadurgas', we are now on a mission of capturing the Baramahal. The Baramahal comprises of the forts at Krishnagiri, Rayakottai, Balagondarayanadurga, Ratnagiri, Tattakaldurgam, Jagadevidurgam, Maharajakadaidurgam, Virabhadradurgam, Anchettydurgam, Gaganagiri (Periyamalai), Mallikarjunadurgam and Shoolagiri. On the 1st  of January this year, we explored the fort at Ratnagiri which is the situated closest to Bangalore and is comparatively a smaller hill to climb.

'Ratnagiri' is one of the lesser known forts around Krishnagiri. There is hardly any information available related to this place apart from a few photographs courtesy of Google maps. We decided to explore this place on the New Year's day and make it more memorable. Reaching this place was quite easy, thanks to Google maps! Additionally, the locals were kind enough to direct us towards the fort. There is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Rama at the base of this hill, built during 15th century by the Vijayanagar kings. It was unusual to see the large number of people at the temple here. We offered prayers at the temple and went ahead to explore the fort.

Entering the Fort

Second Gateway

Pathway under the Rocks

We were pleased to see that much of the fortification remained intact and were excited to explore it further. We entered the first gateway and walked towards second one. This gateway exhibits Vijayanagara architecture with ruins of a few structures besides it. A little further, we came across another gateway and as we entered though it, we found a series of beautiful rock-cut steps leading us to the top. We were informed to climb bare-footed as the placed is considered sacred and we obliged  by removing our foot-wear. We personally always feel it's also a lot easier to climb bare-footed! We reached the next gateway which is complete and the best among the surviving gateways. Close to this gateway is a huge water pond devoid of any water in it. At a short  distance from here is a ruined temple probably dedicated to Lord Ganesha. Descending down hereon, we reach a beautiful place comprising of two rocks carrying carvings of  Lord Anjaneya, Lord Perumal Swamy and Lord Krishna. This place is much revered by the locals who frequently visit them. Behind these rocks is yet another water pond. 

Rock Cut Steps

Fourth Gateway

One of the many Water Tanks

Lord Anjaneya Swamy

Wild Flower

Grinding Stone and some Rock Etching

We reached the upper most tier and as soon as entering, we witnessed the ruins of buildings which probably could be that of a palace or a housing complex. We spent a good time exploring these structures. We also found a nice shaded area to sit and munch on the snacks we had carried, taking care not to litter anywhere. After some rest, we started our descent and reached our vehicle in a while. We were glad to have spent our first day of 2019 in a grand way, exploring one of the lesser known forts built by our great ancestors.  

Top Most Gateway

Ruins of a Palace

Ruined Temple

Lord Anjaneya Swamy inside Lord  Ramaswamy Temple, Ratnagiri

Related Posts
1. 101 interesting places to visit around Bangalore within 125 km
2. Krishnagiri Fort, Tamil Nadu
3. Ratnagiri Fort, Andhra Pradesh

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Huliyurdurga Fort - A Legacy of Sri Kempegowda

'Huliyurudurga/ Huliyurdurga', literally meaning 'the fortress of  the tiger town' is located about 28 km from Magadi and 75 km from Bengaluru. Huliyurdurga is currently a hobli of Kunigal taluk in Tumkur district. A visit to this place was long time pending for us and after reading many articles about the failed attempts to reach the peak, we were a bit skeptical to step ahead. While our dear friend Prashant (popularly known as Payaniga) who has spent considerable time in this town confirmed that very few have made it to the top, we only imagined how challenging the trek would be!! Also, most of the locals acknowledge that it is quite difficult to reach the top. Last week, while doing a research on the same, I came across an article that gave details about the completion of Huliyurdurga trek in 20 minutes! Inspired by this, we  were bent upon reaching the peak top of Huliyurdurga. There was  no looking back this time around!!

Huliyurdurga Fort/ Kumbhi Betta

 The Fort of Huliyurdurga is popularly known as 'Kumbhi Betta' and the hill fort here was built by Sri Kempegowda, who was the then chieftain of Magadi town. This hill though small in size, carries natural advantages of being incorporated as a hill fort. The fort later came under the rulers Chikka Devaraya Wodeyar, Hyder Ali, and Tippu Sultan in turns, after which finally in 1792 the Marathas and the British together laid siege to the fort. They eventually captured and destroyed the fort as they believed it was not worth saving it. Up to 1873, Huliyurdurga remained as the taluk headquarters after which it lost its prominence and currently serves as a hobli. This place was surrounded by thick forests and we still get the feel of the same while traveling along the Magadi - Huliyurdurga highway. The name Huliyurdurga is attributed to the tiger (huli in Kannada), which was a frequent visitor to this place. There are a few ancient temples at the base of the hill believed to have been built during the reign of the Wodeyar's.

Huliyurdurga Fort Entrance

Sri Kumbhi Ganapathi

Vertical Limit 1

The Climb

Reaching the hill base of Huliyurdurga was quite an easy task and the fort seemed inviting. We parked our vehicle at the entrance of the fort. Hereon, steps are laid up till the temple of Lord Sri Kumbhi Ganapathi. We had a casual conversation with a local who was involved in work in his cattle shed. He informed us that climbing up till the fort is not advisable with kids around. Hence we decided to climb as much as possible and then take a call. We reached the Sri Kumbhi Ganapathi temple in no time and investigated for the trek path here on. Finding two routes, we took the one of which had which had directions marked, while the other path went around the hill. We reached a point where there were multiple arrows pointing towards 3 directions! We took the route as per directions towards the left and reached a point from where the route seemed to disappear. The only way up was to climb the steep hill from here or return to explore the other two paths. We continued to hang on, take time to strategize and challenged ourselves to trek further. While our 3.5 year old team-mate Adhi climbed up quite easily on directing him for multiple stops and then proceeding, our 1 year old was very cooperative and we three joined our team-mate in some time. Though the ascent was somewhat possible, we knew that getting down would be definitely challenging!! Meanwhile, Adhi led us to a door way and we followed him to another hill with gradual slope.

Path of Ascent on the Steep Slope

The Fort Wall

Final Frontier

Ruins of Building atop Huliyurdurga Fort

Ragi Grinding Stone

The upper most tier of the fort had ruins of a few buildings, springs (water ponds), powder magazines, durbar hall, granaries, etc. We spent some time here exploring the ruins. In the meanwhile, my wife wished to climb the brick wall of a ruined structure and did so. On spotting a dead leaf mantis on the inner wall, she spent time capturing the mantis who seemed really dead (owing to its name) and happily posed for us. After some time, we decided to head back and reached the spot from where the descent was challenging. Fortunately, our team work was fruitful and we were able to reach the safe spot without any mishap. The rest of our descent was easy. After reaching down, we visited the Sri Gopalakrishna/Venugopala temple built at the base of the hill. The temple architecture resembled that of the Mysuru Wodeyar style and must have been built during the17th century. This temple is a Trikuta and houses murtis of Sri Guru Shankaracharya and Goddess Lakshmi in the two garbhagrihas. Besides this temple is the Sri Lakshmi temple built during the same period. Sadly a few years back, owing to the greed of the people, this temple has been damaged in order to find hidden treasure, if any. During this incident, the main murti of Goddess Lakshmi Devi was damaged and now the temple is not in use. From here on our way back towards the town, we sighted the Kote Anjaneya Swamy temple and a Nandi Mantapa, probably indicating the presence of a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the hill. Thus ending another successful quest, which coincidentally also was our last capture of all the Navadurgas, the nine forts built around Bengaluru by Sri Kempegowda.

Dead Leaf Mantis 

Water Pond

Base of the Damaged  Murti of Goddess Lakshmi Devi

Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple

Related Posts:

1. Bhairavadurga fort

2. Channarayana Durga fort

3. 101 interesting places to visit around Bengaluru  

Sunday, October 14, 2018

An Unknown Plateau of Flowers - Masai Pathar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra

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The Plateau of Flowers - Masai Pathar/Masai Pattar/Masai Plateau

'Masai Pathar/Masai Pattar'/'Massai Plateau' is one among the many plateaus of Maharashtra. While researching the places to visit around Kolhapur, we stumbled upon Masai Pathar and ensured we visit here. Though unaware of what this place had to offer, post our visit to the lovely fort of Panhala we made sure to stop by and explore. Not knowing what was in store made our visit more exciting and what we witnessed was simply unbelievable!  It was nothing less than Heaven on Earth!  A paradise less explored, much beautiful and filled with color. We were at a place second only to Khas or rather equally beautiful. The vast expanse of the colorful flower blooms in all directions made it seem like the abode of god.

Masai Pathar

Smithia hirsuta - Yellow Flowers

Masai Devi Mandir

Masai Pathar is one of the bigger plateaus in Maharashtra, located about 8 km from Panhala. As our guide at Panhala gave us directions to Masai, we reached here without any difficulty. The drive to this location was extremely scenic and thanks to the incessant rains that it was lush green all around. We had to cross the village of Masai to reach the pathar. We parked our car right at the start of the plateau and decided to explore by foot. At first, we only saw small pockets of flower blooms spread across the plain land. As we walked further, we found blooms of various colors.

Blue Pimpernel - Anagallis monelli

Button Grass - Eriocaulon carsonii 

Neanotis lancifolia

Exacum lawai

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Senecio grahamii

Utricularia arcuata

 A paradise unexplored was in front of us and we decided to trek further. We spotted a small temple with a lake in its background. We met the guardian of the temple, who was also a local shepherd and had come to graze his cattle. He patiently answered to all our questions, though he only spoke the language of Marathi. He informed us that a further trek of about 3 km (one way) will lead us to the main temple of Masai Devi. We were in two minds about this trek as it was late afternoon, we were  extremely hungry and the weather was not in favor due to the frequent rains. We finally made up our minds to trek in the rains! With all our rain gears out, we proceeded without looking back. It was the best decision ever! As we trekked ahead, we were greeted by flowers, more flowers and more and more flowers! The blooms from the small temple were as intact as possible. The carpet of flowers all through was a treat to the eyes. It was simply remarkable!

Historical Buddhist Cave

A Lark waiting for its Prey

The next place we visited were the historical Buddhist caves which we had sighted during our ascent and wished to explore while returning. After walking along this plateau of flowers and admiring every bit of color around, we reached the Masai Devi temple. The plateau gets its name due to the presence of this temple. As per the legend, "the villagers prayed to the goddess Masai to protect them from a demon named 'Matsyadaitya'. The goddess appeared in this place and killed the demon by pushing him down from the cliff and settled here only in order to protect the locals. A fair is conducted every year during the Dasara festival. It is also believed that Shivaji Maharaja prayed here while escaping from Panhala to Vishalgad during Jouhar's siege.

Masai Devi Mandir, Masai Pathar

Pathar Ke Phool

Beautiful Masai Pathar

'Pandavleni' is a series of ancient caves located close by to the temple. Since it was raining and it was late in the evening, the locals advised us not to venture there. Hence we abandoned our idea of visiting the caves. As we trekked back, it rained all the way until we reached our vehicle. It was one hell of an experience! The beauty and color of this plateau cannot be described in words. Hope this place retains its charm always.

Enjoy Responsibly

The Guardian of Masai

Also remember to "Enjoy Responsibly".

Accommodation/Food: Panhala is the best and closest option for accommodation.

Sri Bhuvaraha Narasimha Temple, Halasi - Temples of Karnataka

Sri Bhuvaraha Narasimha Swamy Temple, Halasi

A visit to Sri Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple at Halasi was long time pending until finally we got an opportunity to take the lord's blessings during our trip to Belagavi. Halasi is an  ancient town and was the second capital city of the Banavasi Kadambas during the 4th to 6th century. This place was known as Palashi, Palasika, Halasige as per the various inscriptions found here. Later under the Goa Kadambas it was a minor capital between the 10th and 13th centuries. Halasi flourished under these two dynasties and remained as an important cultural site back then. Today this town lives in oblivion and has lost all its ancient sheen. 7 copper plates of the Kadamba dynasty were found here which have been dated back to the 4th century, thus making Halasi one of the oldest towns of this region. There are many other inscriptions found here belonging to the later kings.

Sri Shankara Narayana Swamy Temple, Halasi

There are many temples here namely, the Sri Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple, Sri Kapileshwara temple, Sri Suvarneshwara temple, Sri Kalleshwara temple, Sri Hatakeshwara temple, Sri Gokarneshwara temple and a Jaina Basadi. Due to paucity of time, we could visit only the Sri Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple built in the 5th Century. The original temple built was dedicated to Lord Narasimha. The lord here is depicted with two hands in yogic postures and it is believed that this murti is a Swamyabhu or self- originated one. There is another big murti of Sri Yoga Narayana in the same garbhagriha installed later during the Goa Kadamba period. The inscriptions of 1169 AD found here registers the construction of this temple and installation of the murti of Ananta Virvikrama Narasimha by one Matayogi, as per the instructions of the king's mother.

Tortoise

Grand Bhuvaraha Murti

Yoga Narayana

Garbhagriha   of Yoga Narayana

Sri Swamyabhu Narasimha Swamy

The murti of Sri Bhuvaraha was installed in the year 1187 by King Vijayaditya III in the second garbhagriha, opposite to the garbhagriha dedicated to the main deity. Though there are two garbhagrihas, only the original garbhagriha has a Shikara in the Kadamba Nagara style, built probably much later during the Goa Kadamba period. This temple bears architectural resemblance to Sri Madhukeshwara temple at Banavasi to some extent. The temple has two garbhagrihas with an attached antarala, opening into a common Navaranga with 2 mukhamandapas. The central ceiling of the Navaranga carries a beautiful inverted lotus motif, but is now covered with a wooden plank. The temple is built on an elevated platform. There are a few smaller temples in the complex dedicated to Lords Shankara Narayana, Garuda, Maruti, Radha Krishna and also a stepped well. The complex is well maintained and its temples are functional. This temple is perhaps the oldest surviving temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha.

Road Trippers Club Expedition to Neelakurinji Blooming at Kodaikanal

Neelakurinji Bloom

August 2018 was the much awaited month for witnessing the rare Neelakurinji mass blooming that occurs once in 12 years in most of the areas of Kerala.  Last year we visited the Hills of Sandur to witness the rare Neelakurinji bloom, though in a small scale. This year around, we were sure it was going to be on a grand scale as we were planning to visit Munnar which is home to the largest mass  blooming of Neelakurinji. However, I received a message on whats-app one evening about a road-trip being planned to Munnar during the long weekend for witnessing this rarity and decided to tag along. But as the blossoming season was hit by the unexpected spell of rains across the state of Kerala, Munnar was distressed and as days passed by, the situation only deteriorated due to the continuing heavy rains leading to the floods all across the state. Also the news coming in from Kerala was not very encouraging to continue our drive to Munnar, and hence the team at RTC relocated the destination to Kodaikanal.

As the D-Day arrived, the members of the team began their journeys mostly from Mumbai, while a few started their drives from Hyderabad and Bangalore. We reached Kodaikanal on the 16th evening as per the plan after visiting a few beautiful temples in Tamil Nadu, built during the Chola period.  After a good night's rest at Kodai, we were all ready the next morning  to go in search of the bloom. We all drove down to Vattakanal and much to my shock, this place was already crowded. After all the hustle and bustle of parking our vehicles, we were all set to start our trek. However, we were still unsure of the occurrence of Neelakurinji blooming on the hills there. Though the feedback after an initial inquiry about the bloom was not much encouraging, yet we all decided to continue our trek down and see what lies ahead.

View of Kodaikanal from Vattakanal

Mountains and More Mountains

Towering Heights

Eagerly Walking Down

We reached the first view point named the mountain view, from where the sight of Kodaikanal was breathtaking. While I inquired with a local regarding the Neelakurinji bloom, he replied in the affirmative directing us to the next view point. With much enthusiasm, we continued to descend and proceeded further to reach the Dolphin's nose view point (named so due to the shape of this rock) and lo! There it was! Blooms of the beautiful Neelakurinji!. This light purple colored flowers bloom once in 12 years and grow only at an altitude between 1300 meters to 2400 meters above MSL. The patches of Neelakurinji blooms here seemed much stressed and disturbed owing to the crowd movement and irresponsible plucking of the flowers by flocking crowds. We stopped by the echo rock point and rested for a while. As we continued our walk further down, we could spot more pockets of the Neelakurinji bloom. When we inquired about where the path would lead us to, we were informed that this route would end in Munnar in about 16 km. At this point we decided to halt our descent and head back.

Dolphin Nose

Cyanotis tuberosa

Neelakurinji Mass blooming At Dolphin Nose

We Trekked Till the Last

 The climb up was a bit tiring and uneventful. We regrouped at the start point of the trek, while a few  headed to the parking lot to bring up their vehicles. One of our vehicles halted up slope and due to the terrain and the narrow space available for driving, it was tricky to either go back down to the parking or come up. However, a good Samaritan came to our rescue and with the combined efforts of RTC, the vehicle was driven up slope and we moved ahead. The evening was enjoyable and to top it up, the wild Gaurs visited the resort and spent quite sometime alongside. The entire experience was a wonderful one! It was great meeting like minded road trippers from various parts of India. Kudos to the entire team for having completed this expedition successfully! We are very thankful to Vineet and the RTC team for tagging us along for this drive and ensuring that we witness the rare phenomenon of Neelakurinji blooms.

Experience and Curiosity

Young Explorer

Clouds Kissing the Mountains

Wild Gaur with Cow

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Sri Tribhuvaneshwara Temple, Devagiri, Haveri

Sri Tribhuvaneshwara Temple, Devagiri

'Devagiri' is a small village about 10 km from Haveri and close to the Bangalore - Pune highway. This place was called by different names by different dynasties such as Devingiri, Devageri and lastly as Devagiri. It is believed that a branch of Kadamba dynasty was ruling from "Triparvata" which is the oldest record name of Devagiri. Three copper records of the Kadambas were discovered in this village, two of which are dated to 455 AD  were issued by King Vijayasri Mrighesavarma and the remaining one was issued by the crowned prince Devavarma. All the three records speak about the construction and maintenance of  a Jain temple referred to as Arhat Bhagavata Chaityalaya. Though no Jain Basadi was found in this place, it is said that there is a mutilated murti of Lord Parshwanatha seated in padmasana posture behind a Mosque in a private land.

Ruins Scattered

Veeragallu Belonging to Chalukyan Era

A stone inscription found here dated to 600 AD refers to a feudatory who was ruling this place from Banavasi. The other inscription dated to around 7th century AD speaks about the land grant given to a temple by the Badami Chalukyan Emperor Vikramaditya II. Another gives us information regarding a gift of one thousand cows by Amarakeerthy to the village temple in 8th century AD. Later this place was ruled by the Rashtrakuta king Govindabbe during 9th century AD as per a stone inscription here. The construction of the "Tribhuvaneshwara Temple" and a reservoir by Tribhuvanasingi is recorded in a 1102 AD inscription belonging to the Kalyani Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI. The various inscriptions found here mention about the temples built here such as the Chaityalaya, Kankaleshwara, Govindeshwara, Chatmeshwara, Grameshwara, Tribhuvaneshwara to name a few. Except for the Tribhuvaneshwara temple, most of the rest are either untraceable or modified beyond identification. Sri Tribhuvaneshwara temple  is popularly called now as the Basavanna and Eshwara temple.

Sri Tribhuvaneshwara Temple

The Front View

Sri Basavanna Temple

Shaiva Dwarapalaka and a Stone Inscription

Although the Eshwara/Tribhuvaneshwara temple has undergone restoration, the original structure has been retained wherever possible. Remains of the temple and its ruins seen spread across gives a fair idea of the destruction by the Bahamani sultans here. The Eshwara temple consists of a Garbhagriha, an antarala and Navaranga pretty much similar to the Basavanna temple. A rare and unique feature is the presence of a Makara torana at the threshold (Hostilu in Kannada) of the door. The door jambs of Antarala have some beautiful carvings of the Gandharvas. Many inscriptions and broken murtis are kept in the temple complex. There is a huge tank besides the temple which today is in  a ruined state, with few murtis scattered across. There is a much revered Lord Hanuman temple in the center of village which is believed to have been built by a Brahman Dewan under the Nawab of Savanur.

Navaranga, Antarala and Garbhagriha of Sri Tribhuvaneshwara Temple

Lord Ganesha with Gandharvas on the Door Jamb

Central Ceiling Decked with Lotus Flower Carving

Makara Torana Attached to Hostilu of Mukhamantapa

Part of Makara Torana

Damaged Navagraha Panel with only 6 Remaining

Further excavations are necessary in order to explore more about the history of this village and to rediscover and restore the lost temples. 

References:

1. Dharwad District Gazetteer - GOK