Team G Square Karnataka blog 9

 

 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

 Forms of Lord Shiva, The Great Destroyer - Samharamurtis

Gajasurasamharamurti - Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

"Samharamurtis" are one among the five classes of representation of Lord Shiva’s various aspects, the others being the Anugraha-murtis (or boon-conferring aspects), the Nritta-murtis (or dancing aspects), the Dakshina-murtis (or the yogic, musical and philosophic aspects), and other minor aspects. Samharamurtis portray the destructive or terrific aspects of Lord Shiva. Each form or image of Lord Shiva under this aspect is indicative of the destruction of a particular maleficent and troublesome being. The various forms comprised in Samharamurtis are Kamantakamurti, Gajasuramsamharamurti, Kalarimurti, Tripurantakamurti, Sarabhesamurti, Brahmasiraschchhedakamurti, Veerabhadramurti, Jalandharavadhamurti, Mallarishivamurti, Andhakasuravadhamurti, Aghoramurti, and Mahakala.

The ‘Kamantakamurti’ illustrates Lord Shiva burning down and destroying Kama/Manmatha, the god of love by opening his third eye and emitting flames of fire which reduced Kama to ashes. Lord Shiva is portrayed in yogasana, with three eyes and four-arms.  Kama lies standing before him accompanied by Devbhaga while his consort Rati stands nearby along with Vasantha. Kamantaka’s mudras are pataka and suchi; his emblems are a drum and trident.

Kamantakamurti - Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Basaralu

The ‘Gajasurasamharamurti’ depicts the destruction of the elephant demon Gajasura by Lord Shiva, who is depicted in a terrific form dancing vigorously on the elephant’s head with the animal’s hide arranged behind him like a prabhamandala (aureole). The right leg of Lord Shiva is planted firmly on the elephant's head while the left is bent and lifted up towards the knee of the other leg. He may hold a tusk, club, dhatura flowers, alms-bowl, bell, drum, sword, skull-topped staff, antelope, snake and spear.

Gajasurasamharamurti - Sri Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu

The ‘Kalarimurti’ depicts the legend of Lord Shiva punishing the god of death, Kala/Yama for attempting to kill Markandeya who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is seen as four armed, issuing from the linga in front of which is the boy Markandeya kneeling with his arms folded on his bent knees. One of the right and left hands of Lord Shiva grasp a stout handled sharp trident aimed at Yama’s abdomen. The other right hand rests on the hip (katyalambita hasta) and the left hand is held in vismaya pose. The right leg of Shiva is buried up to the knee in the linga and the left leg is represented as kicking Kala. Kalari’s emblems are a skull-cap, sword, shield, antelope, axe, snake, noose, trident and vajra.

Kalarimurti - Dasavatara Cave, Ellora

The ‘Tripurantakamurti’ depicts Lord Shiva destroying the three asuras (demons) Vidyunmlali, Tarakaksha and Kamalaksha (sons of demon Tarakasura) who dwelt in three forts constructed of metals and caused great damage to the suras and the rishis (sages). Lord Shiva stands in a chariot with his left leg kept forward and the right one behind; the body of Shiva is turned away form the objects aimed at, but his face and arms are turned in the direction of the three castles which he is about to destroy. He seems to have had ten arms; those that still remain unbroken are seen carrying the sword, shield, arrow string in the bow-string and a bent bow. Lord Brahma is driving the chariot which is yoked to two horses.

Tripurantakamurti - Dasavatara Cave, Ellora

Tripurantakamurti - Sri Kailashnath Temple, Ellora

The ‘Sarabhesamurti’ depicts the slaying of Lord Narasimha by Lord Shiva in a fierce form, part man, beast and bird, when Lord Vishnu refuses to abate his terrific attitude after killing the demon Hiranyaksha (an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva) which was causing damage to the inhabitants of the world. Sarabha is described as having eight lion-like legs with sharp claws, a long tail and two wings of resplendent beauty; the body above the loins should be that of a human being but having the face of a lion which should be wearing a kirita-makuta upon its head.

Sarabhesamurti - Sri Airavateshwara temple, Darasuram

The ‘Brahmasiraschchhedakamurti’ depicts the form Lord Shiva assumes while cutting off the fifth head of Lord Brahma with his left thumb-nail. Shiva is portrayed as three-eyed and four-armed with a jatamakuta on the head, and wearing a makarakundala in the left ear and patrakundala in the right. In his left hand are the shula (trident) and Brahma’s skull and the right hand are a vajra (thunderbolt) and parasu (axe).

Brahmasiraschchhedakamurti - Srikanteshwara Swamy Temple, Nanjanagud

The ‘Veerabhadramurti’ depicts the form Lord Shiva assumed at the time of the destruction of the yagna (or sacrifice) of Daksha. Lord Veerabhadra is depicted as three-eyed, four-armed, and with tusks protruding from his mouth. He wears sandals and a jatamakuta, and is decked with garlands of skulls, bells, scorpions and other ornaments, a yagnopavita (scared  thread) of snake, and adorned with beautiful anklets. He is seen carrying a khadga (sword), khetaka (shield), dhanush (bow) and bana (arrow). In the below photograph is seen an unusual and rare depiction of Lord Veerabhadra having 5 faces and 12 arms, with Daksha Mahaprabhu standing besides him.

Panchamukhi Veerabhadra Swamy, Kurugodu

The ‘Jalandharavadhamurti’ illustrates the destruction of the demon Jalandhara by Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is depicted as three-eyed and two-armed; holding an umbrella in his right hand and a kamandalu or a water-vessel in his left. He is adorned with kundalas (earrings) in the ears, haaras (necklaces) on the neck, anklets on his legs, with his feet resting on a pair of sandals. The posture of Lord Shiva is indicative of his desire to move quickly.

Jalandharavadhamurti - Srikanteshwara Swamy Temple, Nanjanagud 

The ‘Andhakasuravadhamurti’ depicts the destruction of the demon Andhakasura by Lord Shiva. He carries a trishula (trident) at the end of which is pinned the body of Andhakasura and from it blood drops down into a cup held by the goddess Yogeshwari (Kali). In the below picture, he is seen with 14 arms with Lord Nandi on his right. He may hold a drum, rosary, chisel, trident, spear, staff with a pierced head, bow, arrow, noose, and a thunderbolt.

Andhakasuravadhamurti - Sri Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu

References:

1. Elements of Hindu Iconography Vol II Part I – T.A.Gopinath

2. The Illustrated dictionary of Hindu Iconography – Margaret Stutley

Related Posts:

1. The Divine Beggar – Bhikashatana Story of Lord Shiva

2. Lepakshi Chitra Katha

3. Top 100 Temples of Karnataka

 The Tamarind Trees of Koongal Betta

Tangy and Tasty Tamarind Fruits

Koongal Hill 

One night while having my dinner, I experienced an unusually refreshing flavor and taste of sambhar  and with much compliments being generated, my wife revealed the secret of the tasty tongue-tickling sambar saying, the tamarind used for cooking/preparing the sambhar was that brought from Koongal Hills. They were the best of tamarinds used by us till now and the taste of its tanginess remained with me ever since. Though we generally use the tamarind grown locally, the tamarind this time tasted different. Whatever efforts we put in collecting the fallen tamarinds, carrying them back home, drying, dehusking and deseeding them to get the prefect fruit, ready to cook, were definitely worthwhile. Though majority of the tamarinds we get is naturally grown, the process of drying, cleaning and selection of the fruits itself makes all the difference. We thouroughly enjoyed the refreshing sourness of the tamarind courtesy of Koongal hill and savoured every drop of sambhar that day!! It was surely a tasty tangy treat for my taste buds!

Tamarind Tree of Koongal Betta

Traditional Way of dehusking Tamarind Fruits

That Sunday, we wanted to trek the small hill of 'Achalu Betta' located somewhere between the towns of Kanakapura and Ramanagara. However, on our way from Kanakapura to Ramanagara, a big hill with a small temple atop attracted us. We immediately decided to trek this hill and inquired the route to the hill. We parked our car under a tree near the Koongal hill. As we walked, we realized that the road has been laid up to half way to the hill. We were greeted by a beautiful murti of Lord Ganesha  installed in the recent years. Walking further we reached an open terrain full of Tamarind trees.

Lord Ganesha

Road Way Up

Life! Finds Its Way

A Lovely Walkway

Entering The Tamarind Tree Groove

The real climb starts from here as the route turns a bit steep and narrow. In a short while we reached  a place where there was a big murti of Lord Nandi/Basavanna. We rested under its shade for sometime after offering prayers. Continuing our trek hereon, we entered a cave at the exit of which were rock cut steps leading to a small temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya Swamy (Maruti). The murti seemed to belong to around 18th century. The forest department has built a small view point where we spent some time. During our descent we sighted some ruins of the fort remains, though not much. We reached the area dedicated to the tamarinds trees and were tempted to collect the fallen tamarind. We collected the the fallen tamarind fruits as much as possible and carried it safely till we reached our vehicle.

The Hike

Nandi Murti

Inside the Cave

Lord Maruti

Panoramic View

Nandi Murti, Rock cut steps and Maruti Temple

How to reach Koongal Betta: From Bangalore travel till Ramanagara on Mysuru highway, enter Ramanagara town and take the Muduwadi road till Koongal. Koongal is about 60 km from Bangalore and 8 Km from Ramanagara.
Related Posts: 

1. 101 places to visit around Bangalore within 125 Km
2. Shri Yathiraja Swamy Betta
3. Nallur Tamarind Groove 

 A Unique and Rare Chalukyan Temple, Angur/Angoor, Ballari

Sri Kalleshwara Swamy Temple, Angur

Angur/Angoor, a small nondescript village on the banks of the river Tungabhadra is home to an obscure and rare Chalukyan temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Reaching this temple in Angoor was as difficult as reaching the village itself. During our road trip of exploring the hidden gems on the banks of river Tungabhadra, we made a point to visit this temple dedicated to Sri Kalleshwara Swamy. We had to do some off-roading to reach this village from Magala and some search to reach the temple. To our shock and surprise, we found the entrance to this temple being locked for eternity. After inquiring with a few locals, we were advised to jump over the gate and enter if we wished to see the temple. I was a bit skeptical in doing so but with no option left, I forced myself and jumped over the gate to gain entry into this temple. However, it was only later that I found out about the conversion of one portion of the fence into a makeshift gate for the care taker's to entry into the temple premises.

Beautifully Executed Seven Banded Door Jamb

Note the Kirtimukha on the Vestibule of the Temple

Sri Kalleshwara Swamy Temple is a south facing trikuta temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of a Linga, and Lords Janardhana and Surya built during 11th century by the Kalyani Chalukyas. Though not very impressive from outside as compared to the other temples built by Kalyani Chalukyas in the neighborhood, this temple has the distinction of being very unique owing to the presence of rare murtis of Lord Alingana Chandrashekaramurti, Daksha Mahaprabhu with his consort Prastuti and the god and goddess of eternal love, Rathi-Manmatha. The sheer presence of these murtis are itself very rare and their occurrence together is extremely significant. Daksha Mahaprabhu or Daksha Prajapati is one of the many Manasaputras (wish born sons) of Lord Brahma and is the father of Rathi (goddess of love) and Sati (one of the wives of Lord Shiva).  As per vedic beliefs, Daksha Mahaprabhu was allotted the work of developing/expanding the universe by Lord Brahma. Daksha Mahaprabhu is depicted with a Ram (male goat) head most commonly alongside with Lord Veerabhadra. There are very few temples dedicated to the love-god couple Rathi-Manmatha, but hardly any  dedicated to Daksha Mahaprabhu. Even the occurrence of Alingana Chandrashekaramurti is quite interesting since Lord Shiva is rarely worshipped in this form.

Lord Kalleshwara Swamy

Lord Surya

Lord Janardhana

Beautiful and Rare Murti of Alingana Chandrashekaramurti

Rathi-Manmatha

Lord Daksha Mahaprabhu with Consort Prastuti

Sri Kalleshwara Swamy Temple is thus very unique and must have been built to please these Lords in order to increase the population. These beautiful murtis along with those of Lord Ganesha, Goddesses of Saptamatrikas and Mahishasura Mardini, and Nandi are seen in the sabhamandapa. All the doors of this temple are finely carved. The door jambs of the garbhagriha consists of five sakhas (bands) decorated with various  flowers, creepers, animals, and musicians and that of the Mukhamandapa  consists of seven sakhas decorated with (1) lozenges (2) creeper-scrolls (3) flying mithunas (4) pilasters (5) square flowers (6) ropes and (7) petals. The outer wall is plain with the kapota having padma moulding on its underside and a curved top with semi circular designs. Above this is a plain course, a simple moulded course with blocks with another kapota having a sloping top and dentil projections carved with figures. The figures carved here include those of Lords Veenadhari Shiva, Bhairava,  Ganesha, Madhava, Narasimha, Goddess Saraswathi, the Ashtadikpalas, dancers, musicians, and others. While the history behind the construction of such a temple still  remains a mystery, deciphering the same will definitely add a lot more value to the current and future generations.  It is sad that this temple today is in oblivion and remains locked. Though the ASI has done a significant job of restoring this temple, it has failed to maintain and give it the respect it deserves.

5 banded Door Frame of Garbhagriha

Saptamatrikas

Nandi Murti

Veenadhari Shiva

Mahishasura Mardini

Places to Visit Around Angur: Hampi, Galaganatha, Chaudayyadanapura, Bellary, Sanganakallu, Haveri, Haralahalli, Magala, Ambali, Rangapura, Kurugodu, Gudekote, Bagali, Nilgunda, Havanur, Harihara, Kuruvatti and many such.

References:
1. A book " Temples of Karnataka" by Dr K M Suresh

Related Posts
1. Top 100 Lesser Known Temples of Karnataka 
2. Sri Kalleshwara Swamy Temple, Hire Hadagali
3. Sri Galageshwara temple, Galaganatha

 Sri Dattatreya Temple, Chattarki, Vijayapura

'Sri Dattatreya Temple' of Chattarki is one among the few Vaishnava temples built by the Kalyani Chalukyas. Chattarki is a small nondescript village in the Vijayapura/Bijapur district of Karnataka state. Vijayapura is a treasure trove of many lesser known temples built during the Kalyani Chalukya period, of which most are dedicated to Shaiva. Only 2 of the many temples built by the Kalyani Chalukyas in Vijayapura are dedicated to Vaishnava, the Sri Dattatreya Temple at Chattarki and the Sri Narasimha Swamy Temple at Vijayapura. The Dattatreya temple was built in the 12th century as per one of the inscriptions found here, which also refers this place to be an agrahara and a center for sculptural art and temple.

Sri Dattatreya Temple, Chattarki

Full View of Sri Dattatreya Temple

Skillfully Carved Mukhamandapa

Reaching Chattarki is not easy due to the limited availability of public transport. We had to hire an auto from Devara Hippargi to reach Chattarki. It is sad that the roads were devoid of any signage directing us to this temple and the final stretch of road too is in a  pretty bad condition. However on reaching, it felt good to see an enclosure in the form of a compound wall for protecting the temple. As I entered the temple complex, I wondered about how such a beautiful gem could lay hidden from the outside world. The temple is protected under the ASI, who have done a fair job in the temple's restoration and maintenance works. On interaction with the with the temple's priest cum caretaker, I  realized that not many people visit this temple which is why he was surprised that I came all the way from Bangalore. He went on to inquire if  I was involved in any research related to that temple and its architecture, for which I replied that my visit here was only out of personal interest!

Beautifully Decked Mukhamandapa

One of the Pilasters of the Navaranga

Floral Carving on the Bhuvaneshwari

 Celestial Scenes

Dancing Madanikas Accompanying Lord Shiva 

The Mesmerizing Pose of Madanikas

Lord Vasudeva with Lord Brahma

A Hero Killing Lion

Goddess Chamundi

This temple consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala, and a sabhamandapa with mukhamandapa on three directions. The garbhagriha houses a murti of Lord Dattatreya on a high peetha, while the original murti of Lord Vishnu seems missing. The antarala is open, with two decorated circular pilasters. The sabhamandapa stands on four central pillars and twelve corresponding pilasters set against the walls. The central ceiling here has a beautiful carving of an inverted lotus bud with miniature sculptures. This temple has some fine carvings of sculptural beauty on its outer walls. Majority of these carvings depict Madanikas in different moods and action which are comparable to the Hoysalan style. There is a structure opposite to this temple that seems to belong to another temple about which the care taker had no idea. This temple too carries fine carvings similar to the Dattatreya temple.

Ruined Temple with Damaged Carvings of Lord Vishnu and Madanikas

Framed

Places to Visit Around Chattarki: Vijayapura, Devara Hippargi, Indi, Sindigi, and many such.
How to reach Chattarki: Chattarki is about 35 km from Vijayapura, located off the Devara Hippargi - Indi Highway, about 13 km from D Hippargi.

Accommodation: There are no options for accommodation at Chattarki. It is better to treat Vijayapura as the base which offers various options to suit one's budget.

References: 

1. Book on 'Temples of Karnataka' by Dr K M Suresh

BuyMaps

Related Posts
1. Top 100 Lesser Known Temples of Karnataka 
2. Temples of Hale Kurugodu, Bellary
3. Sri Kalleshwara Temple Ambali, Ballari

P.S: Nothing changes except our web address! We have moved from www.teamgsquare.blogspot.in to www.teamgsquare.com

 Sri Basaveshwara Temple, Hallur, Bagalkot

Sri Basaveshwara Temple, Hallur

'Sri Basaveshwara Temple' is another beautiful temple located in the village of Hallur. After visiting the Melgudi Jain temple, we proceeded towards the Basaveshwara temple located in the center of the village. It was good to find this temple live with daily worship of the deity. I was startled by fact that not many people were aware of this wonderful temple including the locals, and also the person who accompanied me. He was thankful to me for bringing him along to this beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Basavanna (Nandi). We inquired the priest about the temple's history, but he was only aware about the temple being at least 1300 years old.

Full View of Sri Hallur Basaveshwara Temple

Nandi Mandapa

As per the pre-independence Bombay Gazetteer (Bijapur was a part of Bombay State), this temple was built during 9th century by the Cholas. However  the book 'Temples of Karnataka' mentions this temple being built by the Rashtrakutas during the same period. Nevertheless to me, the temple seemed to exhibit more of the later Badami Chalukyan architecture. The original name of this temple was 'Vishvesvara Swamy Temple' which over time got transformed to Basaveshwara Temple. The temple consists of garbhagriha, an antarala, a sabhamandapa, mukhamandapa, Nandi mandapa and a prakara with a Rajagopuram. There are two colorful life-size sculptures of Shaiva dwarapalas guarding the entrance of the sabhamandapa. The Nandi mandapa houses a big and beautiful murti of Lord Basavanna.

Lord Basaveshwara

Shaiva Dwarapala

Dravidian Shikara

The external walls of this temple are plain and decorated with pilasters. The lower potion of the walls carry carvings of various gods and goddesses like Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Varaha, Narasimha, Durga, and Mahishasuramardini to name a few, with most of them being in a damaged state. There are many houses around this temple, thus cramping the temple space. Though this temple is well maintained with prayers being offered and pujas being performed on a daily basis, it surely deserves more publicity to attract devotees seeking blessings of the Lord. The annual jatra is held during the months of December - January in reverence of the Lord. Also, the festival of Mahashivarathri is celebrated here in a grand manner.

Inscription Stone Slab

Bhu Varaha Swamy

Ardhanareshwara and Gajasurasamhara Murti

Places to Visit Around Hallur: Kudala Sangama, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Banashankari, Bewoor, Mahakoota, Shivyogi Mandir, Gudur and many such.  

How to reach Hallur: Hallur is located of f the Bagalkot - Kudala Sangama State Highway and is about 18 km from Bagalkot. 

Accommodation: There are no options for accommodation at Hallur. It is better to treat Bagalkot as the base which offers various options to suit one's budget. 

References: 

1. Book on 'Temples of Karnataka' by Dr K M Suresh

ExploreChurches

2. Bombay Gazetteer of Bijapur

Related Posts
1. Top 100 Lesser Known Temples of Karnataka 
2. Melguti Jain Temple, Aihole
3. Kalleshwara temple, Bethuru 

P.S: Nothing changes except our web address! We are moved from www.teamgsquare.blogspot.in to www.teamgsquare.com

 Melgudi Jain/Jaina Temple, Hallur, Bagalkot

'Hallur' is a nondescript village located in the district of Bagalkot, off the Bagalkot - Kudala Sangama highway and can undoubtedly be considered as unusual and unique. Bagalkot, the Badami Chalukyan heart land is home to numerous temples built by the Cholas and Rashtrakutas around the 8th and 9th centuries AD. During one of my visits to Bagalkot, I got an opportunity of visiting the ancient temples of Hallur town. It was fascinating! The two prominent historic temples among them are those dedicated to Lord Basaveshwara built in 8th century by the Cholas and a Jain temple (popularly called Melgudi Jaina temple) built in 9th century by the Rashtrakutas. Hallur is located about 18 km from Bagalkot. Reaching this place was an easy task and as we reached, both the temples were easily visible.

First Look of Melgudi Jain Temple, Hallur

Melgudi Jain Temple, Hallur, Bagalkot

We chose to visit the Melgudi Jaina temple at first which is located atop a small hillock, thus giving it the name Melgudi. The temple is built on similar lines with the Meguti Temple at Aihole (7th century, Badami Chalukyas) with the only difference being that the navaranga here is a closed one. The Melgudi Jain temple was built around 870 AD during the reign of the most famous Rashtrakuta king, Amoghavarsha. This beautiful sandstone temple consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala and a navaranga/sabhamandapa, with an interesting stone ladder leading to the first storey that housing a small garbhagriha. The garbhagriha is originally believed to have consisted of a murti of a Jaina Tirthankara. However the temple now enshrines a Shiva Linga and Nandi along with a damaged inscription at its entrance which probably carried details of the installation of the same. The temple having been dedicated originally to a Jaina Tirthankara even now houses a murti of the same which is  kept in the sabhamandapa. But with no details with regards to why and when the original Jain temple was converted into a Shiva temple, the temple's history still remains a mystery. However, the  inscriptions may have carried information regarding the same, but it sadly remains damaged.

Inside the Garbhagriha

Three Lotus Carving on the Central Ceiling

Murti of Jaina Tirthankara in the Navaranga

I climbed the small stone ladder that opens to the first storey only to find an empty garbhagriha. Being awestruck witnessing this small gudi (temple), I could only imagine as to how grand it would have been back then, during its full glory. That said, I strongly believe that my imagination would any day fall short of its true glory. After coming back to reality, I got down the ladder and decided to explore the external features of this temple. There are a total of 8 life-size carvings of various Jaina Tirthankaras on the outer walls of the temple. There are different kinds of Jalis (perforated stone windows) fixed in the outer walls. The details of the kutas (miniature shrine motifs), salas (oblong members with a wagon shaped roof), panjaras (shallow niches formed by pilasters) and makara toranas  are unfinished.

Small Gudi on the First Storey

Jali Window

Life-size Jaina Tirthankaras are Carved on the Outer Walls 

Another View of the Melgudi Jain Temple

Detailing on the Outer walls

While closely observing the outer walls, I was dumbstruck to sight prehistoric kind of carvings on them! They were quite intriguing! Although I was able to identify many carvings such as those of the bulls, people and scenes of hunting, I have never witnessed something like this before and was unable to believe my eyes. The carvings here were pretty much similar to the ones at Sanganakallu. On further visual investigation as to whether these carvings belonged to the prehistoric period or not, I tried to trace the carving between two stones of the wall and found them to be discontinuous. Thus revealing that the carvings were made much before this temple was built. Sadly, a few insensitive idiots have tried to disfigure these carvings by their senseless graffiti. Thanks to god that some of these carvings have remained intact. I was unable to find much of literature/details about this temple. Once I was back in Bangalore from this trip, I re-looked at all the photographs taken by us during our previous visits to Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole. On careful observation and with a keen eye for detail, I found one of the pictures of Pattadakal having similar carvings of bulls and the only feeling I got was 'Wow'! Probably back then in October 2010, we were not versed with the prehistoric times and hence did not go ahead with the search for such carvings around with interest. However, may be during our next visit to this place, we would end up finding more about these carvings and many such! It is truly mysterious to have found such carvings on the temple walls and to further ascertain whether they are really prehistoric or not is very difficult at present. However the same can be achieved and confirmed by a thorough  and proper investigation and documentation. 

Southern Wall of the Temple

Carving of a Bull

Proof of All the Vandalism and Ever Vanishing Evidences of Our  History

Bull Carving from Pattadakal

 To be continued... 

 A Trek to Posadigumpe Hill of Dharmathadka, Kasaragod

'Posadigumpe Hill' is one of the many offbeat places around the district of Kasaragod in Kerala. Posadigumpe is popular among the locals for its picturesque and panoramic 360 degree views of its surroundings. The highest point of the hillock is about 490 m above sea level. Over a general discussion, a cousin of ours came up with an idea of trekking to the Posadigumpe hill to see the mist engulfing the hill. On the next day which was the first day of  year 2018, I along with two of my cousins headed towards Posadigumpe early in the morning. We took the longer route via Kumbla as I had traveled through this route a few years back.

Sun Playing Hide and Seek

Sunrise over the Posadigumpe Hill

A Panoramic View from the Peak of Posadigumpe Hill 

We reached the hill and found that there was no mist, but we decided to trek the hill to catch the sunrise. We climbed a few steps and got a good view of the surrounding hills and realized that except the main hill, almost all the other  surrounding hills were engulfed in mist/fog. What a sight it was! and What a perfect way to begin our new year! It was a short and easy trek. We reached the hill top and waited for the sun to rise. The beautiful red sun was lazy to come out of the clouds and finally showed us his face. It was a sight to behold! We spent sometime at the peak and tried experimenting on a few interesting photo ops. Thus spending the first morning of 2018 in an eventful manner.

Have This Perfectly Shaped Ladoo...  

That's a Goal!

In...It Goes!

How to reach Posadigumpe from Kasaragod: There are many routes from Kasaragod - the shorter and the best one being  via Maipady, Seethangoli, Permude to Posadigumpe. It is about 26 km from Kasaragod.
How to reach Posadigumpe from Mangalore: The best route from Mangalore is via NH 66. Take a right turn at Mangalapady, Permude to Posadigumpe. It is about 50 km from Mangalore.
Places to Visit Around Posadigumpe: Permude/Posadigumpe Waterfalls, Bekal Fort, Ananthapura Lake Temple, Kumbla Fort, Pooval Fort, Neelikunnu Beach, Kapila Beach, Madhur Sri Ganesha Temple, Kanva Thirtha Beach, Manjeshwara and many such.

 Gooty Fort, Anantapur - Oldest Fort in Andhra Pradesh

Gooty Fort, Oldest Fort in Andhra Pradesh

'Gooty Fort', also known as 'Gutti Fort' is considered to be one of the earliest surviving forts of Andhra Pradesh. Gooty Fort was always on our list of must visit places, but never happened until last year. It was during our day one of road trip to Madhya Pradesh, while driving from Bangalore towards Hyderabad that we decided to stop by Gooty Fort in order to break the monotony of driving. It was afternoon and the weather was quite hot to explore this fort, but we decided to go ahead with the ascent. This hill fort is also known as Ravadurga and is spread across 3 hills located to the North of the current village of Gooty.

British Cemetery, Gooty

Climb to the Mighty Fort of Gooty

History of Gooty: The earliest inscription found in Gooty can be dated to the 8th century belonging to the Badami Chalukyas dynasty. Later in 10th century,  the Nolambas took over this place and  built the hill fort. The Kalyani Chalukyas then strengthened this fort in the 11th century and made this a very important part of their kingdom. Later the Vijayanagara kings ruled here and further strengthened this fort and developed Gooty. Post the down fall of the Vijayanagara empire, it was occupied by Qutb Shahi of Golconda. Subsequently, the Marathas under Murari Rao captured it after which it fell into the hands of Hyder Ali, until finally being captured by the British post the death of Tippu Sultan. There are 16 Kannada inscriptions found in Gooty/Gutti, of which the earliest one belongs to the Badami Chalukyas dating back to the 8th century AD. This inscription is a dual language inscription with a mix of sanskrit and kannada. It mentions of  'Srivallabha Yuvaraja', probably the king during whose reign the images of Goddess Mahishasura Mardini and Lord Ganesha were carved. The second kannada inscription found here belongs to the Nolamba dynasty and can be dated to the 10th century. It mentions of king Dandanayaka Chavundamayya and the construction of Lord Narasimha, Rameshwara and Bhagavatidevi temples here. 10 out of the 16 Kannada inscriptions found here belong to the Kalyana Chalukyas falling between 11 -13th centuries. Nine of them mention about the various grants given by king Tribhuvanamalladeva (Vikramaditya VI) towards development of Gooty fort and temples here. Thus making this fort one of the earliest forts in Andhra Pradesh. The current structure standing here is an improvised form built by the Vijayanagara kings with later modifications  by the Marathas, British and Hyder Ali.

Fortification of Gooty

View of the Top Tier of Gooty Fort

Inside British Colony

British Colony, Gooty Fort

The Strong and Complicated Fortification of Gooty

Fort Walls Snaking Through the Hills of Gooty

One of Many Water Ponds Here

We had to travel through a few narrow lanes of Gooty to reach the fort area. Many people had gathered as a part of a local fair that was being held, creating chaos with regards to parking. After finding a safe place to park our vehicle, we moved ahead towards the hill base where we were welcomed by the British Cemetery of administrator Thomas Munro who died of Cholera and was buried here. To the right of the cemetery is the path to reach the top of this hill fort. After a short climb we reached a darga, probably built during the rule of Hyder Ali. We continued climbing further and as we entered the third gateway, we found remains of British colony with many structures. There were a few structures outside this colony, most of which were in ruins. The fourth gateway carries a depiction of Goddess Gajalakshmi on the center of its lintel. The pillars here are a typical of Vijayanagara style of architecture. Sadly most of the carvings on them have been vandalized. The next gateway is quite simple and seems to have been built in an Indo-Islamic style of architecture.

Pillars of the Gateway Belonging to Vijayanagara Period

Gooty Fort

Fort Walls

Carvings of Goddess Mahishasura Mardini and Lord Ganesha Belonging to Badami Chalukyas

6th Gateway

Pillar of the Gateway Belonging to Kalyana Chalukya Style of Architecture

Lord Kote Anjaneya

Top Tier of Gooty Fort

Close to the 6th gateway is a small temple which sadly looks damaged or destroyed post its reconstruction. The temple has the carvings of Goddess Mahishasura Maradhini and Lord Vinayaka, and can be dated to 8th century based on the inscriptions. The pillars of the 6th gateway seem to belong to the Kalyana Chalukyas/Nolamba period. A little further from here is a beautiful carving of Lord Anjaneya belonging to the same period. Hereon we entered the 7th gateway and found many ruins, mostly related to the Royal family. There are many wells inside the fort that served as sources of water which today are in a state of sheer neglect. There is a place known as Murari Rao's Seat, where the Maratha King sat in a swing with his queen and enjoyed watching the panoramic views of Gooty. From atop the hill fort, one can have a clear view of fortifications spread across various hills. Overall, this fort is in a fairly good shape with much of its fortification intact, though in need of minor restoration work.  The wonderful Gooty fort has a great potential of becoming a prospective tourist spot of Ananthapur, with the only flip side being its very hot weather throughout the year. Winter mornings would be ideal to climb this hill.

Water Pond

Royal Enclosure of Gooty Fort

Palace of the Kings and Queens, Gooty Fort  

King Murari Rao's Seat and View From Here

A Discarded Yet Beautiful Kalyani at the Hill Base 

How to reach Gooty:  Gooty town is located off AH44 that connects Bangalore to Hyderabad. It is about 275 km from Bangalore and 300 km from Hyderabad.

Places to Visit Around:  Guntkal, Bellary, Tadpatri, Madakashira, Lepakshi, Belum Caves, Yaganti, Gandikota, Alampura, Gudibande, Ratnagiri, Rayadurga, Kalyandurga and many such.

References:
1. Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh, A Book Edited By Dr.C.S.Vasudeva
2. Indian Vagabond
3. Shodhganga

Related:
1. Udayagiri Fort, Nellore
2. Krishnagiri Fort
3. Channarayyana Durga Fort

 Temples of Hale Kurugodu, Ballari

'Hale (Old) Kurugodu' was earlier a village of Kurugodu during the rule of Sindhs, which later got shifted from here to the east, in its current location. This place today stands a mute spectator to its history and the events that took place here. There are many temples here, most of which are in ruins today. It is hard to imagine the grandeur of this town in the bygone era. The majestic hill fort, the grand temples and cave temples here serve as a testimony to what a small yet significant dynasty could achieve in a short time. There are more than 10 temples built during their period that have survived the test of time, significant among them are,

1. Chikka Basavanna Temple: This temple is located about 2 km from the main village and is dedicated to Lord Basavanna (Nandi). This murti of Basavanna is facing  Lord Shiva, located on the hill of Kurugodu. This temple was built in 12th century, with only garbhagriha and a part of the Navaranga remaining today. This temple is located in a calm and serene location and we spent quite a good time here.

Chikka Basavanna Temple, Kurugodu

2. Sri Veerabhadra Cave Temple: Sri Veerabhadra cave temple is located in the interiors of  the hills. We had to drive across a few quarry vehicle routes to reach these isolated caves. There are 2 caves here, one dedicated to Sri Veerabhadra with Sri Daksha Maharaja and the other to Lord Shiva. There is a Kannada  inscription in front of these caves.

Lord Veerabhadra Swamy With Daksha Maharaja

Cave Temple, Kurugodu

Inscriptions in front of  Veerabhadra Swamy Cave Temple

 3. Jain Cave Temple: A small cave probably dedicated to Jain Tirthankaras and remains incomplete due to change of rule here. These carving date to 9th - 10th Century, before Kurugodu Sindhs taking over this place.

Incomplete Carvings of Jain Tirthankaras

4. Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple: Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy temple was built by Kurugodu Sindhs in the 12th century. It is now in a ruined state with all the vandalizing done by our generation. The temple consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala and an open sabhamandapa.

Sri Mallikarjuna swamy temple, Kurugodu

5. Sri Sangameshwara Temple: Sri Sangameshwara temple is the grandest of all the surviving temples here. This huge temple was built in the 13th century, with later additions by the Vijayanagara kings in 16th century. This temple consists of garbhagriha, an antarala, a pradakshinapatha, an open 60 pillared mahamandapa and a mukhamandapa. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of a Linga. It was good to see that this temple was live and people were performing pujas and offering prayers here. 

Sri Sangameshwara Temple, Kurugodu

 Veeragallu

6. Srisaila Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple: Srisaila Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple was built in 12th century by the Kurugodu Sindhs. This temple consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala, a sabhamandapa and  a mukhamandapa. There is a beautiful pillar in front of this temple. 

Srisaila Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Kurugodu

7. Sri Siddeshwara Temple: Sri Siddeshwara temple is close to Kurugodu town, probably hinting this to be the earliest village site. We found many pieces of pots and stone tools. This was a Jaina temple, but later converted into a Shiva temple during the 12th century by Kurugodu Sindhs. The temple consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala, a sabhamandapa and a mukhamandapa.

Sri Siddeshwara Temple, Kurugodu

8. Sri Rachamalleshwara Temple: Sri Rachamalleshwara temple is a trikuta temple built  in 1177 AD by the Kurugodu Sindhs. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, housing Lingas in all its three garbhagrihas and are named Gavareshwara, Mallikarjuna and Muddeshwara. The temple was renamed as Rachamalleshwara due to the belief that the strongest of the Kurugodu Sindhs, Chief Rachamalla transformed into a Shiva Linga post his death, here in the temple. It is a pity that this temple today is in ruins. 

Sri Rachamalleshwara Temple, Kurugodu

Lord Rachamalleshwara

9. Murugudi Temple Complex: This temple complex comprises of 4 temples, all of which are dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of a Linga. Two out of these temples are live with regular worships, while the other two are in ruins. The main temple here consists of a garbhagriha, an antarala, a sabhamandapa and a mukhamandapa. 

North Temple, Murugudi Complex

South Temple, Murugudi Complex

10. Dodda Ganeshana Bande: There are two stone carvings of Lord Ganesha here, one of which is 10 ft tall and  the other is 20 ft. The carving of the 20 ft Dodda Ganesha was amazingly beautiful!

Dodda Ganesha

To be continued... 

 Kurugodu, Bellary - Fort, Prehistoric Paintings and Ancient Temples

A Panoramic View of Kurugodu Fort, Town and Hills

Though traveling to Kurugodu was fairly regular when I was in Bellary, we could never manage to make enough time for exploring this place. The 'Hill Fort of 'Kurugodu' has always been inviting and many of our travel and historical books speak in volumes about it. The level of eagerness to explore Kurugodu reached its highest at one point and culminated with us planning a road trip to Bellary during the holidays of Deepavali, last year. Trust us! This place undoubtedly exceeded our expectations. Our previous day was quite exciting, with the highlight of the day being the prehistoric anthropomorphic sites of Kumathi and Hulikunte. This day, we planned to explore the prehistoric sites of Sanganakallu and Kuppagallu and in anticipation of a really hot day, we started quite early and reached Sanganakallu. As Mr. Ramadasa, our guide for the day who knew every stone of Sanganakallu was held up with other work and promised to meet us the next day, we decided to go ahead to the next place on our list, Kurugodu.

A Bird's Eye View of Shiva Mandapa 

History of Kurugodu and Kurugodu Fort: Kurugodu is believed to have been a part of the Kishkindha kingdom ruled by the monkey brothers Vali and Sugreeva during the Treta Yuga (period when Lord Rama ruled the earth). Later in the Dwapara Yuga, this place became the capital of the Kuntala kingdom ruled by the great king Chandrahasa. The town of Kurugodu, surrounded by many small hillocks, proved an ideal environment for the then prehistoric settlement. There is ample evidence given by archaeologists in the form of artifacts to prove that this site was once occupied by prehistoric men. A few cave paintings found here can be traced back to the Bronze Age, with the others belonging to the Iron Age. Though there are no records of Kurugodu's association with the Mauryan empire, findings from the Ashokan edicts at Nittur and Udegola which are in close proximity to Kurugodu confirm that Kurugodu was once under the rule of the Mauryan kingdom. An inscription found here dated to around 2nd century AD confirms that this place was also under the rule of the Satavahanas between 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Subsequently, it came under the control of the Badami Chalukyas after which it gave rise to one of the lesser know dynasty, the Sindhs of Kurugodu. The Sindhs ruled Kurugodu from 7th century till the end of the 12th century, with their descendants seen living even now at Kurugodu. King Ariballi Dagra established the Kurugodu Sindh Kingdom followed by Udayaditya, Chokarasa, Rachamalla I (the most successful king of this dynasty), Rachamalla II and Veerakalidevarasi. The fort of Kurugodu was built by the Sindh kings way back in the 10th century and was later improved by the Vijayanagara Kings. This fort is four tiered, with its bottom most tier of fortification encircling the entire town of Kurugodu and its surrounding hillocks. At a later stage, Hyder Ali captured this fort and post the death of Tippu Sultan, it was left abandoned.

Kurugodu Fort Walls

Bird's Eye View of Hale Kurugodu

Tungabhadra Canal Traversing Across Paddy Fields

Kurugodu Fort

Having been to Kurugodu many times and hence being familiar with its surroundings, we easily found a decent place to park our vehicle and reached the base of the hill. Hereon, two men volunteered to accompany us and guide us along. They informed us about the presence of two routes, one laid with proper steps and the other with a rough path through thorny shrubs, which turned slippery at times. For us, taking the the tougher route was quite an obvious choice. The climb was slightly difficult, though a short one and we reached the first tier of fortification from where there were two diversions, one leading to the Shiva mandapa and the second to the next level of fortification. Reaching Shiva mandapa was quite tricky. It is a small mandapa housing a beautiful Shiva Linga, installed by the Sindh kings who were staunch followers of Veerashaiva dharma. The climb from here towards the second tier was quite easy. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya with an inscription carved on stone, of the Vijayanagara Kings. From the top of this hill, we were able to spot many temples on the other side of Kurugodu, and upon inquiring, our guide informed us about Hale Kurugodu or Old Kurugodu, which was once a prosperous town under the Sindhs, but now is in ruins and shambles. They gave us all the details of the temples there. We explored the remains of the fort, most of which were still intact. There are many interesting balancing rocks here. Our descent was quick and we asked our guides if they were also interested in showing us around Hale Kurugodu. Their response was negative and they also went on to advise us not to explore that side of the place as it had turned into a drunkards den and would be unsafe. We thanked our guide and bade them good bye. We stopped by a small shop to buy some snacks and prepare food for our little one. We bought a few fruits here for which Kurugodu is known for. Kurugodu and its surroundings are well known for the excellent quality of Pomegranate, Fig and Papaya they grow, most of which are exported.

Balancing Rock inside Kurugodu Fort

An Inscription Outside Lord Anjaneya Temple 

Lord Anjaneya

Balancing Act by Rocks

Lord Anjaneya Temple and Fort Walls

Lord Shiva

We decided to explore the temples which we saw from atop the hill and proceeded further. We found ruins of many temples here and a little further on a rock we spotted some red colored paintings. We parked our vehicle to investigate the place and to our surprise, they were indeed prehistoric paintings. We were able to identify the paintings of hyena, bulls, people and many other worn out paintings. So excited we were! It seemed for a second like it was our own discovery! We explored more around this area with an expectation of finding other paintings, but no luck. There was a person working nearby this site and on inquiring him about the presence of any other such paintings around, he looked blank and admitted of being totally unaware about them. HeyI requested him to come along to the rock where we saw the paintings to know if he could recollect having seen similar paintings elsewhere, but his answer was negative. He went on to confess that he never knew about these paintings and its significance, but will keep in mind the same from now on. He suggested us to see a cave temple with some carvings of kings a little further. We thanked him and carried on with our explorations.

Prehistoric Rock Shelter, Hale Kurugodu

Prehistoric Cup-marks 

Painting Depicting Hyena 

Unidentifiable Cave Paintings

 To be continued….. 

Related Posts:
Rock Carvings of Usgalimal 

 Gudekote, Bellary - Cave Paintings, Fort and Bear Sanctuary

Exploring Gudekote Fort with our Young Trekker

'Gudekote' is a small town situated on the Bellary/Ballari - Kudligi State Highway. As usual, having passed by this place many a time, we had an urge to visit here but never got a chance to do so. Finally during the last year Dasara holidays, we managed to plan a visit to this place. It was quite hectic and we started the day by exploring the Fort at Ramadurga, Shree Ramalingeshwara Cave Temple, Nayakanahatti Temple and the Prehistoric Sites of Kumathi and Hulikunte. We reached Gudekote around 4.15 pm and were contemplating whether or not to climb the hill fort as this place has been declared as a bear sanctuary. We inquired at a few places and found it safe to climb the hill and decided to give it a shot. We parked our vehicle and walked towards the hill in pursuit of another exciting adventure.

Four of the Five Hills surrounding Gudekote as viewed from the Doregala Hill

Bird's Eye View of Gudekote

History of Gudekote and Fort: Gudekote is derived from two Kannada words, 'Gudi' meaning  Temple and 'Kote' meaning Fort. Hence, Gudekote literally means a Temple-Fort. There are 5 hills surrounding the town of Gudekote namely, the Doregala Gudda, Someshwara Gudda, Agasara Gudda, Harijana Keri Gudda and Karadi Gudda. Gudekote was occupied since the Neolithic period, and many prehistoric artifacts have been discovered by researchers here. Later this place is said to have been under the rule of the Mauryan dynasty, based on the Ashokan edicts found at Brahmagiri, Ashoka Siddapura and Jatinga Rameshwara. It then came under the rule of the Satavahanas, the Kadambas, Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kalyana Chalukyas, Hoysalas and the Palegars (chieftains) of Hosamaledurga. Subsequently, the Gudekote Palegars under the patronage of Vijayanagara Kings ruled this place between 1506 AD and 1757 AD and gave a tough fight to the Bahmani dynasty. King Gundala Nayaka established the Gudekote Palegar Kingdom, followed by Bommatharaja, Chinnayaraja, Immadi Rajjappanayaka, Jatingi Raja, Ramappanayaka, and Shivappa Nayak. The Gudekote Palegars improved the mud fort here by replacing it with a strong stone fort during the 16th century. This place was captured by Hyder Ali and later went fell into the hands of the British with the defeat of Tippu Sultan, who had control over this place till 1947 which later was added to the then state of  Mysore.

The Initial Climb

The Young Trekker Growing out of Shadows

After a short climb, we reached a site that seemed like a prehistoric settlement or rather would have been a perfect place to have one! The cave paintings here only confirmed that this site indeed was a prehistoric settlement. Though most of the cave paintings have been vandalized by modern graffiti, we were able to identify a few, with most of the remains seeming no less than a puzzle! The paintings were similar to the ones at  Jatinga Rameshwara and Anegundi, and hence must have belonged to the same period. We spent quite a good time here trying to decipher these paintings, as it always arouses the sense of creativity, imagination and humor in us. Deciphering paintings has always been a fun activity and hence we enjoy it. After a while, we proceeded further.

Cave Paintings

Cave Paintings and The Rock Shelter

Gudekote Fort

We were greeted by the first tier of the fortification which opens into a flat land, perfect to have a settlement. There were remains of a few buildings and also a stepped well. On exploring the area, we found another building structure of a much later stage, probably built by the British. This place seemed like a storage place for food, being devoid of any doors. We found a unique carving on a rock further, resembling that of a soldier with a spear in hand, and with very assertive and alert eyes! We continued our climb further only to realize that there was no clear path hereon, except a few ruins spread here and there. We settled here for a few minutes while the sun was setting behind us and after sometime started our descent. We reached the village and went straight to explore the Tangalli Mahal built in Indo-Islamic style by the Palegars  and  enjoyed the cool breeze there. This must have been a grand two storey structure which sadly today is in shambles. The hills and forests around Gudekote have been declared as a 'Sloth Bear Sanctuary', according to a notification of 2013 and second only such wildlife sanctuary after the Daroji Bear Sanctuary near Hampi of Bellary district.  This however, is yet to be opened for visitors and is considered to be larger than Daroji.

2nd Fort Gateway of Gudekote

Dried Stepped Well Inside Gudekote Fort

Another Dried Stepped Well

Unique Carving

Ruins Inside Gudekote Fort

Store House Probably Built by the British

We also remember seeing a few rock paintings on the Gudekote - Bellary road during our other travels. Being very curious each time we saw them, we decided to check out what was in store this time and reached that spot, which falls inside the limits of a Bear Sanctuary. There were a few unique cave paintings under rock-shelters which were quite difficult to decipher. The sunset was an indication to end the day's adventure. It was a great day, one of those where we explored 2 forts, a beautiful cave temple, a popular local pilgrim center and 3 prehistoric sites. Hereon, we drove towards Bellary for our next adventure.

Tangalli Mahal

Prehistoric Rock Shelter With Paintings

How to reach Gudekote: Located on the Bellary - Kudligi road, it is about 60 km from Bellary and 30 km from Kudligi. 

Accommodation: There are no options available for accommodation in Gudekote. One can stay at Kudligi which has limited options, however the best would be to find a stay in Bellary overnight. Our usual place of halt is Hotel Ashoka Residency with an affordable budget.
Places to Visit Around Gudekote: Sandur, Kudligi, Kotturu, Ujjaini, Brahmagiri, Ashoka Siddapura, Jatinga Rameshwara, Sanganakallu, Bellary, Hampi, Nayakanahatti, Kumathi, Hulikunte and many such.

References:
1. Book on "Ballari Jilleya KotegaLu" By Dr.M.Kotresh
2. Journeys Across Karnataka

Related Posts:
1. Channarayana Durga Fort
2. Ambajidurga Fort
3. Kavaledurga Fort 
4. Rock Engraving of Usgalimal 

 Moonbow at Unchalli Waterfalls, Sirsi

Unchalli Waterfalls

Sometime back,  having read about the phenomenon of a Moonbow or Lunar Rainbow occurring at a few waterfalls around the world, we wondered if we would ever get an opportunity to witness this rare phenomenon. The chances seemed were very minimal or nil, owing to the locations of its occurrence previously. The formation of Moonbow has been documented in 5 locations of waterfalls throughout the world so far, though there could be many such places where the Moonbow would form. One and only such place documented in Asia is our favorite waterfalls of Unchalli. We have the privilege of visiting Unchalli quite often, as Sirsi is always on our annual pilgrimage tour. This year however, we were unable to visit Sirsi earlier due to various reasons. Somehow, we got a chance for a quick visit to this place during the last weekend. As we wanted to visit Unchalli falls in the evening, we had to meet a few locals whom we knew from our previous visits and seek help to get the required permission.

Note the Faint Moon Bow

Chandra Dhanasu, Unchalli Falls

A Moonbow or Lunar Rainbow is a celestial phenomenon similar to the  usual rainbow, but formed only during moonlight. They are very rare in occurrence and invisible to the naked eye. Moonbows are very faint and believed to occur during a full-moon or bright-moon night. Though capturing them in the right angle is very difficult, there are a few who have been chasing Moonbows at Unchalli since a few years and have succeeded in documenting them only last year. As Unchalli waterfalls comes under the area of reserved forest, there are restrictions of movement during the night times and a strict ban is imposed on camping here. The locals were quite helpful in getting us the necessary permissions from the forest department for a late evening visit.

Moon Over Unchalli Falls

I, along with my friends reached the house of the local friend around 6.45 pm that evening. Taking a moment to refresh, we quickly started our walk towards the view point of the waterfalls. Though that night was a half-moon night or Ashtami Chandra, the falls was clearly visible and we were enjoying our moonlit descent towards the view point. We made sure to be well equipped with torches to help us descend. The view from the watch tower was just splendid! The scene is indescribable in words or sentences! It  would easily convert any normal man into a poet. But I instead chose to photograph this spectacular scene, which was quite difficult due to the dim light. After a lot of trials, I  managed to get a couple of decent shots of the waterfall. While I zoomed in to take a look at the picture, I was shell shocked to see that we had additionally captured a Moonbow! A quite faint rainbow it is, but is yet so exciting to realize that very few people in Asia have ever been able to witness and capture it. Thoroughly and unbelievably excited I was! Holding the same excitement on reaching home and transferring the pictures to my system, I had a closer look just to reassure it was a Moonbow. I was happy that we were able to capture it on camera. Thus making Unchalli closer and dearer to us. Don't miss to stop by a short video tour on Unchalli waterfalls.

Descent to the Falls

Unchalli Waterfalls

Our humble request to all is 'Please take prior permission from the concerned authorities before heading into the forest area during nights as it comes under reserve forest area'. Also, entry to the falls is prohibited after 6 pm. Remember not to litter the place and leave it as it is for others and future generations to enjoy. 

You can also read one of our experiences at this waterfalls here.

References:
1. Times of India
2. Landscape Wizards 
3. Time and Date 

Related Posts:
1. Neelakurinji - A rare bloom
2. Dandeli - Resting in the lap of Nature
3. Biking in heaven, Kodagu

 The earliest human settlements of South India: Sanganakallu and Kappagallu, Ballari

Dolerite Dyke, Sanganakallu

'Sanganakallu' and 'Kappagallu' are important prehistoric sites located about 5 km from the district of Bellary. The prehistoric sites are spread across these two villages and surrounding areas, covering more than a 1000 acres. These sites are considered to be the earliest human settlements in South India and hold a very important position in the prehistoric studies of South India. They are of keen interest to any archaeologist who is studying prehistory, since these are a few sites which have been under settlement for a very long time covering different phases of the prehistoric period. Sanganakallu and Kappagallu have been inhabited since the Mesolithic period and would have been in full glory during the Neolithic period, and continued also into the Iron age. The excavations here have yielded many clues regarding their agricultural practices here, majorly millet cultivation. The Birappa Rock Shelter here has been dated to the Mesolithic period, and continuing till the Iron age. Radiocarbon dating of Birappa Rock Shelter has given the indication of dates as far back as 9000 BC (11000 years back). This site was first discovered by William Fraser in 1872 AD, although the first extensive study of the site was carried out by B. Subbarao in 1946. This site was further studied by Z.D.Ansari and M.S.Nagarajarao in 1965 who established the fact that these sites were associated with the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Megalithic periods. However, the most extensive and advanced study of this site was carried out in 2002 by Dr.Boivin and Ravi Korishettar. Sadly, these sites today lie in a state of neglect and distress.

Hiregudda, Sanganakallu

During our last Dasara holidays, we had a chance to visit this site. We reached Sanganakallu village in search of Sri Ramadasa who knows every rock of this hill. With the help of the villagers, we found his house and on requesting him to guide us through, he informed about his busy schedule that day and told us to come the next day. We agreed and set out the next day morning to pick him up and prompt to his words, he was ready waiting for us. The hill complex is about a km from this village and as we reached, we found a good shady place to park our vehicle and began our adventure for the day. Sri Ramadasa is one who has dedicated his entire life exploring this site and understanding them. It is always good to go around with a learned guide while exploring such sites in order to get a good insight and a complete picture of them. Sri Ramadasa describes the names of the hills as Hiregudda, Sudalamattigudda, Sadashivagudda, Choudammagudda and Sannarachammagudda. He drew a map of these hills in our book to explain the location and the horse shape formed by these hills, which was quite interesting! We finally began our journey of exploring this wonderful site.

Destroyed Ash mound

Ramadasa explains that the government had proposed plans of developing this site into a tourist attraction and its proximity to the district of Bellary would be an added advantage. Some work related to this project underwent, which finally was halted permanently due to various unknown reasons. The sad state of affairs across the country and our greed takes over the need. The day this site develops as a premium tourist spot in Karnataka, the entire quarry lobby here will be under threat. This is the primary reason why this project did not take off. Though the quarrying has considerably reduced, significant damage has already been done, which is quite evident. It is sad that such sites across our country are dying in neglect without any kind of protection or any intent to protect. People like Ramadasa are the only guardians of such sites, who have ensured that whatever little left is protected and shared to the outer world. The Government should always involve the locals in improving such sites. The locals must be educated regarding the significance of such sites by conducting various  programs and holding discussions with them. Locals are the key to protecting such large sites and the government should rightly ensure that they promote these sites as tourist attractions.

Musical Rocks, Sanganakallu

As Sanganakallu and Kappagallu are two villages separated by the Hiregudda hill range, this site has been named differently by various archaeologists depending upon the approach used. The villages together were one of the earliest settlements in South India, which overlapped with the mature Harappan civilization. There are many interesting sites in and around these places such as the Peacock Hill, Dolerite Dyke Petroglyphs, Hiregudda Stone Tool Factory, Kappagallu Ash Mounds, Birappa Painted Rock Shelter, Village Site, Stone Circles and other Megaliths.

Natural Blasting of Rocks

We began our ascent to this hill only to be stopped by an exposed soil profile showing us the formation of different soil layers, due to the continuous settlements here. Our guide showed us various rock weapons such as the axes, spears, pounding stones and some weights which were in use back then. A short climb from here brought us to a site which had the maximum number of petroglyphs or rock carvings. The Ghante rock, translated as the Bell-rock welcomes us to this fascinating world of Petroglyphs. On this rock are 2 carvings, that of a bell and the other of a bull. Our guide explained that the bull depicted here is quite similar to the Gangiyeddu's cattle decoration (a beautiful cloth tied to the hump of the bull).

Ghante Rock

The carving of a big bull welcomed us to this site and from thereon, almost every other rock we saw had petroglyphs or rock carvings on them! The carvings of bulls in various sizes and shapes clearly dominated the others. Our guide went on to explain that these probably indicated the direction towards the temple of Lord Basavanna and were aligned accordingly. The first of the baffling carvings here was that of a 3 horned bull.

Bulls Everywhere

Three Horned Bull

 One of the different and interesting carvings here was that of a water bird, probably a crane with a circle carved behind it, signifying a water body. Sri Ramadasa told us about the existence of a lake previously in the direction of the birds beak, which was probably being depicted in this diagram. This reminded us of an interesting article we had read, titled 'Prehistoric men drew maps'. It may have been the early stage of depicting directions/maps through drawings that enabled any new person from the other tribe/places who visited or settled here to navigate more easily. This is only proof to the vision of our ancestors as maps were invented only about 5000 years ago, which was much later.

Carving of Waterbird

Panchayat Stone/ Court Hall - We reached a site which as per our guide was a meeting hall or court, where the leader of the tribe met the visitor and gave judgement in case of any dispute. The  terrain here was flat, which could easily accommodate about 20 to 25 people and also housed a huge slab which served as the leader's seat.

Panchayat/ Court Hall

Bull-Axe Wheel - The next intriguing carving here was that of a bull-axe wheel consisting of 5 bulls, which may have been the representation of a calendar that helped people prepare their lands just before the onset of monsoons. On closer observation, one can identify the axe carved in the shape of bulls legs and five such interlinked bulls forming a wheel in combination.

Bull Axe Wheel Carving

Long Horned Sambar Deer -  The next etching that caught our eyes was the beautiful depiction of a Long Horned Sambar Deer, which probably roamed here freely back then. It is disheartening that this animal is currently listed as vulnerable under the IUCN Red List. Though the climb became a lot more difficult hereon due to the rocky terrain, the sight of such carvings kept us engaged.

Carving of Long Horned Sambar Deer

Earliest Rock Musicians - The people of various settlements occupying this site made musical instruments out of the rocks found here. They made grooves of such kind on the rocks that when struck emitted different musical notes. Such musical instruments have also been found at other similar sites such as the kettle's drum at Hirebenakal and the drum at Mosalayyana Gudda at Hampi. Such musical rock instruments must have been an inspiration in the construction of many musical pillars that form a part of temples.

A Prehistoric Rock Music Instruments

Other carvings sighted were that of a Barasingha, a few aroused men and erotic scenes.

Carvings of Barasingha, a Few Aroused Men and Erotic Scenes

And Lo! Finally, we witnessed the most beautiful and unique of all carvings of this site. Of all the carvings here, this carving of a big three horned bull  stands out, with each of its horn resembling a trident/trishula. Our guide named this carving as the Nandikeshvara Kamasutra Panel, since it also included the depiction of a few erotic scenes. A peacock carving is also seen here along with the carving of an elephant.

Wow What a Scene !

Nandikeshvara Kamasutra Panel

Carving of a Leader along with his Disciples.

 Our Guide Sri Ramadasa and in the Background is a Carving of Leader along with his Disciples  

A rock with carvings of foot and hand impressions.

Carvings of Hand and Foot Impressions

A Maduve (Marriage) yantra is carved here, which is still followed by the locals during their marriage ceremonies.

Maduve Yantra

This could probably be the earliest reference to goddess Lajja Gauri, the goddess of fertility. We were able to spot two such carvings here, one very elaborately carved with a lot of details and the other which was much simpler. These carvings are pretty much similar to the carvings found in Usgalimal of Goa .

Carving of Lajja Gauri

Hereon, our guide took us to the Pitlappa temple where people continue to worship even today, especially during the festival of Nagara Panchami. A small opening between the rocks forms this simple temple and is probably one of the earliest temple, devoid of any murti as of today. We are not sure whether any murti was installed here initially.

Pitlappa Temple, Sanganakallu

Pre-historic Scribble Pad -  This probably seems like one's to-do list or scribbling their ideas when struck to their minds so as to remember them later. There are a lot of carvings here that are simply out of this world. We spent maximum time here deciphering these carvings.

Prehistoric Scribble Pad, Sanganakallu

Carving of a 6 Bull-Axe Wheel

Carving of a pack of dogs.

Carving of a Pack of Dogs

As the weather was too hot to continue further exploration, we gave up the plan of visiting the stone factory. We descended down and headed straight towards the ash mound here. This ash mound is one of the 4 ash mounds surviving today, though partially disturbed. To know more about it, do check our post on Kudatini Ash Mound.

Kappagallu Ash Mounds

We went further and explored the Birappa Rock Shelter located close by the village of Kappagallu. Some of the paintings here can be dated to 9000 BC (Mesolithic period). Lastly, we spent sometime playing in the cold waters of river Tungabhadra flowing in a canal nearby the village of Kappagallu. What an amazing end it was to our journey! We later dropped Mr. Ramadasa to his house and thanked him for taking us around and explaining each and every rock in detail during this wonderful and informative tour.

Cave Paintings, Birappa Rock Shelter

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Megalithic
3. Journeys Across Karnataka

Related:
1. Chandravalli Cave Pre-historic Site
2. Dolmen Circles of Doddamalathe 
3. Prehistoric Anthropomorphic Statues of Kumathi     

 A Short Trek to Krishnagiri Fort, Tamil Nadu

A Bird's Eye View of Krishnagiri Town

Krishnagiri is one of the large towns of Tamil Nadu and is the district head quarters. It is located on the Bangalore - Chennai Highway. Having traveled this highway many times, we have always eyed on exploring the Krishnagiri fort, which is clearly visible from the highway. 'Krishnagiri' gets its name from a hill here, on which the Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya built the fort. This fort may have been a military outpost kind of fort, which was built to house a section of army to protect their kingdom. None of the structures built here by the Vijayanagara kings survive today apart from its  fort walls. However, a few British structures and a Darga built during the rule of Hyder Ali is still seen today.

The Fort Walls of Krishnagiri

19th Century British Colony

Krishnagiri fort was built during the early 16th century by king Krishnadevaraya which served as a head quarter of the Bara Mahal (12 Palaces). It is believed that  the Vijayanagara kings built/captured about 12 around Krishnagiri and Krishnagiri was made as the head quarters. The fort here is a simple fort by any standards, with the natural profile of the hills ensuring maximum defense. Post the downfall of the Vijayanagara kings, the Bara Mahal came under the Bijapur Sultanates during 17th century after which it was captured by Maharaja Shivaji during his Deccan expedition. Later, the fort was captured by Hyder Ali under the Wodeyar Kings and remained with them until the death of Tippu Sultan. Finally, the British brought it under their control.

K R P Dam Surrounded by Hills

Climbing Together

Steps and Krishnagiri Town

Last Sunday morning, we started early and reached the base of Krishnagiri hill. Thanks to the rains due to which the entire area looked green and was full of life! There were many small waterfalls enroute to the fort. The steps laid here ensured a moderately easy climb during such season. The trek was quite simple, except for two short stretches which were a bit tricky, owing to slipperiness of the rocks. Atop the hill, we were greeted by a ruined gateway from where there are two diversions, the  route on the left leads to a Darga and the other leads us straight to the other remains of the fort. While we were resting at this point and observing around, we sighted a prehistoric cave settlement. Wow! We explored this small cave settlement and found a few white colored paintings which were quite intriguing and similar to the ones we found at Mallachandram. Hereon we reached the summit of the fort. The terrain was perfect and I spent some time learning to handle the flight of our drone better. Being breezy, it was quite challenging to keep the drone stable during flight although I tried my best. My effort in the form of a short video is posted at the end of this post. Our descent was quick and we reached the place were our vehicle was parked, thus ending another enticing quest.

Slippery Path

Rock Cut Steps

The Young Trekker Leading The Path

White Prehistoric Cave Paintings of Human and Birds

 

Places to Visit around Krishnagiri: Mallachandram, KRP Dam, Rayakottai, Theni, Shoolagiri and many such. 

How to reach Krishnagiri: Krishnagiri is well connected and located on the Bangalore - Chennai national highway. It is about 85 km from Bangalore and 280 km from Chennai.

References: 
1. Wikipedia  

Related Posts:
1.  Drive to the Cape 
2.  The Rat Tail Waterfalls  
3.  Kolli Hills  

 A Winter Trek in the Western Ghats, Ballalarayana Durga Fort, Chikmagaluru

Kudremukha Hill Range in Monochrome

 A long pending trek to Ballalarayana Durga fort finally materialized last winter during our trip to Horanadu. 'Ballalarayana Durga' hill is located about 40 km from Mudigere and the fort can be reached via two trek routes - the longer 2 day trek route via Bandajje Arabi Waterfalls from Mundaje and the shorter day trek from Durgadahalli. We decided to a take shorter route since our partner Adhi was a year and a half year old. Road is laid up to Durgadahalli, where we parked our vehicle and started our trek. The initial path of the trek took us  along a few local estates and a bit of steep climb welcomed us to this hill. The climb progresses amidst lush green grasslands which opens up into a beautiful natural landscaped vista.

The Initial Trek Path

First Look of Ballalarayana Durga Fort

Shola Forest of Ballalarayana Durga

Break for the Little Trekker on Demand

The walk through the grasslands was quite easy and very pleasing to the eye. Undoubtedly, we spent more time on photography then trekking! As the trek continued through the grasslands, we reached a junction with two diversions and after much deliberation, we decided to take the route on the left and bang on! We were on the right track. We had to cross a few smaller hills in order to reach the base of the hill that housed the fort. We had a clear view of the fort hereon. The early winter weather was perfect for this trek and as usual, this time of the year is always pleasant. We entered the fort wondering about the reason of its being built here in the first place, later only to be abandoned and why no further attempts were made by other kings to occupy/modify/rebuild this fort. Much of the fortification still remains intact  giving us an idea of how magnificent it was, back then.

Trek Route Snaking Along the Grass Land

Vigna vexillata Flower

Neelakurinji Flower

Another Stretch of Shola Forests

Ballalarayana Durga hill range falls under the Bankal range of Mudigere forest division. This hill is said to have been fortified by the Hoysala Kings in 12th century, which also played a significant role in defence activities due to its strategic location. We did not get any further information regarding the history of this fort. It probably seems like the fort was abandoned with the downfall of the Hoysala dynasty. One can get a view of the entire Kudremukha hill range, Charmadi ghats and other hill ranges. While we were just about to start our descent, we spotted a few trekkers coming towards the fort taking the Bandajje Arabi route. We waited to speak to them and find out their experience uphill and assured them that the descent down the hill from here was not as difficult. They inquired from us about the possibility of hiring a vehicle at Durgadahalli and as we knew, we informed them that the chances of availability of vehicles were quite bleak. We offered them to join us so we can give  drop them all to the nearest place from where they can get a  bus back to Bangalore. Without a second  thought, they readily accepted our offer. After they rested for sometime, we all started our descent. All along, they were quite excited to see our little partner Adhi doing the trek! We reached our vehicle and as promised, we dropped the boys at Kottigehara. Overall, it was a wonderful experience of trekking amidst so much greenery!

Gaali Gudda Hills

Towards Bandajje Arabi Waterfalls

Cheering Up the Young Trekker

Ballalarayana Durga Fort

Fort Walls Snaking Across The Hills

Other places to Visit nearby: Kalasa, Horanadu, Chikmagalur, Sooramane Abbi Waterfalls, Khandya, Mullayanagiri, Bababudanagiri, Kudremukha and many such.
How to reach Ballalarayana Durga:  Cross Mudigere, proceed towards Kottigehara, take a right turn towards Kalasa and reach Sunkasale. Take a left turn here and proceed till you reach a dead end and take a  left turn to reach the starting point of the trek. This village is located about 34 km from Mudigere and 312 km from Bangalore.

Accommodation: There are no accommodation facilities inside the village, although one can pitch their own tents inside the fort or village premises with prior permission of the villagers. However, there are many home stays in the area which also offer guided treks to this hill.
Where to eat: There are no eateries here; Kottigehara and Kalasa are the closest and better options.
Permission: Not required for this route.  However, the trek through Bandajje Arabi waterfalls route requires prior permission, which can be obtained at Bandajje only. Also, guides are provided by the forest department.

Related Posts 
1. A Monsoon Trek to Kavaledurga 
2. Dandeli Resting in the Lap of Nature
3. Waterfalls of Agumbe

 MP Diaries - Chausath Yogini temple - Bhedaghat, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

While we were enjoying the sunset behind the Marble Rocks of Bhedaghat, we realized that we were running out of time to visit the Chausath Yogini temple here. We rushed back to our car and headed towards this temple. Having visited a few Yogini temples such as that at Hirapur (Orissa), Mitawali and Khajuraho, we were excepting this to be along similar lines. The Yogini temples generally are dedicated to the  64 Yoginis, housing 64 small shrines enclosing a Yogini each and thus the name 'Chausath Yogini'. However, this temple houses 81 small shrines along its periphery unlike the 64 celled temples. The word 'Chausath' means 64 in the language of Hindi and 'Yogini' means the power of realization and the names given to the demoness/ sorceress/ woman possessing magical powers.  Goddess Durga created these Yoginis to attend her and Lord Shiva. Also sometimes, goddess Durga is also referred to as a Yogini. While one school of thought says that all the 81 murtis here are Yoginis, the other assumes they are the 64 Yoginis with associated Devi's, including the Saptamatrikas. Originally being eight Yoginis, with other associations they number as many as 64. They are said to have attained the form of grama-devatas or are minor manifestations of goddess Durga.

Gauri Shankar Temple Inside Chausath Yogini Temple

Atop a hillock situated close by the Marble Rocks is the 'Chausath Yogini temple', built in the 10th century AD by the Kalachuri king Yuvarajadeva I. The temple is a circular structure with no roof. There are 81 cells/shrines at the periphery, out of which 64 are dedicated to the 64 Yoginis and the rest to other deities including the saptamatrikas. The murtis in most of the cells are either partially or completely damaged, with some being defaced. A board displaying the names of each is present below the murti, making the identification process a bit easier. At the middle of this enclosure is the 'Gauri-Shankar temple' dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati. The garbagriha houses an idol of the couple deity riding on Nandi, the bull mount of Lord Shiva.

Sri Sarvvatomukhi

Sri Vibhatsa

Sri Erudi (Horse Faced)

How to Reach Bhedaghat: Travel along Jabalpur - Bhopal highway and turn left towards Bhedaghat. Drive along to reach the waterfalls and temple, if driving from Jabalpur. It is situated at about 25 km from Jabalpur.
Entry Fee: Entry is free to the temple.
Accommodation: Though we did not stay here,  there are quite a  a few options available for accommodation here. Hotel Marble Rocks maintained by the MPTDC on the banks of the river Narmada, one of the is best available here.
Where to eat: There are many eat-outs, including a few road-side eateries.

Related Posts:
1. Mitawali Chausath Yogini temple
2. Temples of Orchha  
3. Bateshwar Group of Temples 

4. Madhya Pradesh 

5. MP Diaries 
                    

 Tumkur Fort, Sri Ramadevara Betta, Kyatasandra

A View from Top of the Ramadevara Betta, Tumkur

We had been eyeing this big hill since a very long time as every time we stopped by the Tumkur toll booth, the hill was visible and seemed inviting. But somehow, we never got a chance to visit here. I requested one of my colleagues, a local of Tumkur to gather information about this hill as the internet searches failed to yield much results. It was only after he gave out a few details that I realized the name of this hill as 'Ramadevara Betta'. Now that I knew its name, I searched the net again and found that some people had already explored this hill and their pictures tempted me to explore it as well. One fine day, I was joined by a few of my colleagues and together we attempted to climb this hill. After packing some food from Kyatasandra, we reached the base of the hill. There is an Anjaneya temple at the hill base where we parked our vehicles and first visited this temple. We inquired about the route to Sri Ramadevara Betta and moved on.

Entering The First Tier of The Fort

Following the directions of the temple priest, we headed towards the hill. The weather was perfect for climbing, not too hot, but cloudy and breezy. We had to cross a small hillock before we reached the base of the main hill, from where the actual trek began. The trek was wonderful, with the entire  hill range of Devarayanadurga being visible. After climbing for some time, we reached the first tier of the fort or rather the first surviving tier. As we climbed further, we reached an open flat terrain where we were welcomed by a beautiful lotus pond filled to the brim due to the recent rains. Hereon, the top most tier of the fort was at a striking distance.

The Beautiful Lotus Pond

The Temple and Pond

Inside the Top Tier of the Fort

We entered the last tier of the fort which had a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of a linga. Going by its architecture, the temple seems to have been built in between the 9th and 11th centuries, probably by the Hoysalas/Cholas/Gangas. It's close resemblance to the 'Rameshwara Temple of Kaidala', situated very close to Tumkur in all likelihood indicates that these temples were built during the same time. The temple structure has a garbhagriha, an antarala and a  navaranga. The Shikara is lost and many portions of the temple are ruined and lay scattered. There is a small mandapa close by to the temple where we rested and enjoyed eating our packed food, ensuring to keep the premises clean. We later went around exploring the surroundings and found a few ruins. We were able to spot two caves, one of which had a perennial spring with a few Shiva lingas while the other probably was a meditating/resting place of a sage. It started to rain heavily by the time we reached this cave and taking shelter in this cave, we wondered how someone could stay here, secluded and away from the outside world.

Ruins of Some Structure

Arisaema sp.

There are many interesting legends associated with this hill. As it is believed that the Linga here was originally installed by Lord Rama himself, the hill is called as 'Ramadevara Betta'. During the exile of Lord Rama, he along with his wife Goddess Sita and brother Lord Lakshmana stayed here for a brief period. Once during their stay, Lords Rama and Lakshmana were away and Goddess Sita was having a bath. When she heard them returning, she hurriedly went away from that place as she dragged her Saree while draping it. The villagers here believe that the mark present on the hill nearby the pond is that made by Goddess Sita while dragging her Saree! Quite interesting it is! However, this story may not be completely true, since Sita was kidnapped by Ravana in a location somewhere in Maharashtra, and much before they entered Karnataka. But then, the association with Lord Rama cannot be discarded as there are many places in the surroundings which prove the same.

The Mark Made by Goddess Sita's Dragging of her Saree

Though not much history of the fort is known, it seems to have been built during the same time as the temple here, without undergoing any later modifications. The fort must have either been 2 tiered originally, which is quite unusual or it may be that the outer tiers failed to survive the test of time to give us an exact picture. Our descent was quick, though at a few places it was quite slippery due to the rains. We were pleased to have done this trek.

How to reach Tumkur Fort: Drive on NH 4 - Reach Kyatasandra - Take a right turn towards Siddaganga Mutt - Cross the Mutt, drive further and take a right at a brick kiln to reach the hill base, where there is an Anjaneya temple.