The Beautiful Passion Flower And Mythology

The Strange Ways Of The Exotic Krishna Kamal Flowers

By Meera

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The blooming of this passion flower has been captured on
camera by a retired Dy general manager of a bank B N Nagendra.

Along the hedgerows, on the edges of woods, in the thickets, tumbling over trellises, jumping over fences and snaking the open grounds – a strange and exotic flower when it blooms – it brings everlasting joy in one’s heart. It is called by so many names – wheel of fortune or passion flower or Krishna Kamal and even May Pop.

Amrutheswara Temple - Stories From Ramayana

By Tharangini

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The stories from Ramayana starting before the birth of Rama to the war against Ravana sprung out in great detail from the entire southern wall of the temple. Of course a temple built over a span of 42 years cannot be studied in a couple of hours. But time was in short supply and we had more places to cover. Still here is a glimpse of some of the events through the epic, hopefully in a chronological manner.

I must admit that it took opening multiple windows on google and talking to various very surprised people about my seemingly unconnected questions, to get my facts in order before having the courage to present it here. In case I failed in the correct interpretation of some panels, then do send in the right story through the contact us form. I will correct it and due credits will be given. Now with the disclaimer done, I guess I can take you through what we saw in this incredibly beautiful temple.

Devas beseeching Lord Vishnu to take avataar on earth for fight against Ravana
and panel on right shows Vasishta advising Dasharatha
to perform 'Putrakameshti' yagna

Amrutheswara Temple

- Carvings Marinated In Inspiration And Passion

By Tharangini

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They say you can visit a place of religious significance only if the place calls you.  When we left home that morning, visiting the Amrutheswara temple was nowhere in our list. But I guess the calling was so strong that we pulled over by the side of the road and after a 15 min discussion with our driver, we dropped all our other plans and headed towards the Amrutheswara temple in the Chikmagaluru district.

It was hardly 8 am on that Tuesday morning in February  and summer was already heralding its own arrival in no uncertain terms. Wearing black was not a good idea and I was already regretting the color of my attire. We were unsuccessfully trying to ignore the soaring temperature the day ahead had planned for us.

Amrutheswara temple

International Space Station

A Visual Treat During the Lockdown, Thanks To The Clear Skies...

By Meera

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There are so many things one can do to spend their time productively and peacefully. Just get to your terrace as I did in the wee hours to observe a celestial event in the clear and clean skies. It was a beautiful experience to wake up on a Sunday and run up to the terrace at 5.15 when the birds were chirping and cool winds were wafting on an April summer.

ISS as seen through the naked eye

The Sambar Story - Taste Evolving From History

By Meera

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Image Credits : Harini Karthikayan

The Tangy Spicy Sambar Hails From The Sangam Period Of Tamilakam

Those childhood memories! The hot aroma of spicy Sambar wafting from the kitchen to the courtyard still tingles in my memory as if it was yesterday. The memory of my summer holidays in Nanjangud [on the banks of River Kapila in Mysore] rushes in with great nostalgia when my great grandmother used to prepare Hulli [another version of Sambar] with all dedication and interest despite her age and bent back.

The delicious Sambar

Noni - Heralding Good Health - Part II

By Tharangini

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A view of the greenhouse

The tour started at the greenhouse, which was lush and the uniform green had a soothing effect on the eyes. As we wandered through the greenhouse and then to the farms, Inchara introduced me to a lot of new plants, not just by name, but also by taste.  She kept feeding me leaves from various plants and I had to taste them and guess what it tasted like. She was also keenly watching my expressions, which I am sure was positively entertaining. I ate the leaves that tasted like Anise ( 'Saunf' ) and one that smelled like 'Vicks'. After a few more 'leaf tasting', we reached the young Noni trees, all having fruits in various sizes.

Noni - Heralding Good Health - Part I

By Tharangini

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Once upon a time, long long ago, according to the Hawaiian mythology, the demigod Maui attracted the wrath of the goddess of death and was killed.  He was brought back to life after being covered with Noni leaves.

The Goddess of volcano, Pele, is said to have diverted the flow of lava to spare Noni trees.

A young Noni tree

Noni is a fruit which is also known as the Indian Mulberry. It has been around for centuries and was known as Ayushka, which means 'lifespan enhancer', in ancient India. But various foreign invasions had removed our connection with Noni. It has however found its way back again to our lands.

The Irumbai Legend Comes True In Auroville Forests

By Meera

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Walking in the scorching heat of the Eastern Coast of  India on the outskirts of  Puducherry - I suddenly entered a ‘green oasis’ in the middle of old and ancient villages that was dusty and silent.

It was 11:30 in the morning and the East Coast Road was literally crawling with motor bikes and people honking unnecessarily when suddenly Loganathan our auto rickshaw driver took a sudden right turn into a marked dirt road.

The greening of wastelands

Hampi - Surprises At Every Turn

By Tharangini

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The monuments of Hampi are taking a breather for the first time in a number of years. The multitudes of footfall have been replaced with silence as the whole of India is under lock-down. I could not help but wonder what if the lifelike carvings in these beautiful monuments just came out for a walk in this silence to take over their land again.

Wild imaginations aside, join me in visiting just a few of these incredible carvings on this short tour. They are from different visits and different temples but all hold the same magic.

Notice the hairband and the choker

among other accessories

Menhirs - A Revelation From The Ancient Past

By Meera

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It is not just ancient temples or monuments but ‘simple stone structures’ from a bygone era that has fascinated me for a long time. Imagining how people lived, worked and what kind of food they ate say 3000 to 5000 years ago has been a topic for discussion with my friends.

As such the Hampi excavations and the unearthing of the most fascinating temples built by the Vijaynagar kings in Karnataka is a story to be visited any number of times. But Neolithic or megalithic structures which are disappearing due to urbanisation too makes for an interesting and fascinating account for anybody who believes that history is to be known and understood in its right perspective for us to live in the present times.

A view of the Menhir in the far corner

Itagi Mahadeva Temple - Music Set In Stone - Part II

By Tharangini

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For those who have directly landed on this page, the post continues from the previous post. For continuity and hopefully lesser confusion, requesting you to glance there first.

The partially damaged dancing
Shiva on the ceiling

Itagi Mahadeva Temple - Music Set In Stone - Part I

By Tharangini

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Itagi is only 7km from the Mahamaye temple in Kuknoor and it is not uncommon for those who visit the Mahamaye temple to visit the Itagi Mahadeva temple.  We were no different and followed the same trail thus reaching Itagi within 10 mins .

The chariot gets a makeover
for the festivities.

The Jagara Valley’s 400 Year Old Heritage

By Meera

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Continued from Bhadra Forests - In Its Full Bloom

For many years now, it has been my interest and passion to see anything that is old and ancient. Old buildings, carvings, motifs, inscriptions and temples have fascinated me.  Not just these, I have made it a point to look for natural heritage too. I have always wondered as to how they have managed to survive all these years amid the ravages of  time, changing climate and last but not the least, man’s greed.

The Jagara Teak

Bhadra Forests - In Its Full Bloom

By Meera

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Any visit to the hill district of Chikkamagaluru is incomplete if one does not catch a glimpse of the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary (also a tiger reserve) which is home to big as well as small animals including tigers, leopards, elephants, gaurs, deers and a host of other species. I not only wanted to see the Sanctuary through the eyes of noted wildlife conservationist D V Girish but also wanted to understand and imbibe what went behind Bhadra’s conservation all these decades. Girish picked me and Tharangini from our hotel in Chikkamagaluru town at 5.15 am on a pleasant morning in the month of January.

Surrounded by hill ranges, Bhadra in its verdant beauty

Navalinga Temple - A Heritage In Peril

By Tharangini

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Continued from Mahamaye temple.

The Navalinga temple or the set of 9 temples,  behind the Mahamaye temple is said to be built by the Rashtrakoota dynasty between the 8th and 13th century. Built in the Dravidian style of architecture, each shrine houses a Linga as the name suggests.

The Navalinga temple with its multiple
scribbles on the outer walls

Mahamaye temple - Linking Us To The Mahabharata Era

By Tharangini

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The Mahamaye temple is enveloped in a maze of streets  in the small town of Kuknoor in Koppal district of Karnataka. Its historical significance dates back to the times of Mahabharata and has quite an interesting tale to tell. The temple by itself is fully functional with throngs of devotees  descending upon the temple on a daily basis.

This was our first stop on the way back from Koppal towards Hospet.  We were beginning to feel  pretty sure that Google Maps was taking us on a wild goose chase. The more turns we took along the winding streets, it was impossible for us to believe that such an ancient temple could actually be situated amidst so many houses  and narrow lanes. But then there it was. A large entrance, painted in bright orange, loomed before us abruptly just as a lane ended.  We had to owe Google Maps an apology for doubting it.

Arikamedu – An Ancient Trading Post From The Times Of Julius Caesar

By Meera

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After roaming around the rocky beaches and Chola temples of Puducherry in the cool environs of January month, I was yearning to take a peek at a very ancient but hardly known Roman trading site in the city of Pondicherry. Some of my friends in Bengaluru had mentioned about it but could not give much details. However, despite inquiries nobody could exactly tell the 'way' to this post. Of all the people, it was our friendly old auto driver Loganathan who finally managed to get the whereabouts of this place.

The remains of this French styled villa revealed secrets of an ancient era

Chandalingeswar Temple - Mysteries And More

By Tharangini

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The day was nearly over and the sun had long gone down and we thought we were done for the day. But that was not to be. We were still in Hannumsagar (Read about it here) and tucked into our schedule and in Bilagi Village, about 4 kms from Hanumsagar was the Chandalingeswar temple, waiting for our visit.

It was already dark by the time we reached the temple and wisely I decided to leave my camera bag in the vehicle itself. Me and my phone would explore the temple that day along with the others.

The well lit entrance to the temple

Over A Friendly Cup Of Coffee

By Tharangini

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The morning cup of coffee, the sensational brew that kick-starts our day, has a lot of stories to tell. We got our first hand information on its history, growing, harvesting, processing , grading etc. over an excellent brunch and of course a fantastic cup of coffee at Shreedev Hulikere's Woodway Homestay.

Coffee - What better to kick-start a day with

Panchanatheeswara Temple – A Forgotten Heritage

By Meera

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Moving away from the rocky sea face of Pondicherry city, I began my search for very old Chola temples that's in the vicinity of this erstwhile French Colony. This was because my friend Dr Githa U Badikillaya, founder of Destination Heritage and is an expert on Indian Temples and its architecture had suggested that there were some temples that were older than the Chola temples of Chennai.

A temple that has seen additions till the 17th century