BR Hills - The Land Of The Soligas

By Tharangini

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The trip to BR Hills was delayed by almost five years. For some or rather multiple reasons, the place I used to visit with enviable frequency seemed to stay so close yet so far all this while. So this year when the plan finally formed to visit my favorite haunt, I was cautiously optimistic. I am glad that despite a few hurdles during the planning, the minute I was in the embrace of the beautiful hills, I felt I was never away. 

This was the first time I was traveling with Meera to BR Hills and staying in Giridarshini Homestay. After having hyped up so much about the homestay over the last year, I kept my fingers and toes crossed that she would equally feel at home here as much as I had felt during all my previous visits. 

Gold and green mix in the hills

Srirangapatna - Wellesley Bridge History

By Meera

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Once the Wellesley Bridge served the traveling public between Bengaluru and Mysuru, however, a new and bigger bridge was built across the Cauvery river in the 1960s. This bridge is now old and cannot handle heavy traffic and hence, a new bridge was constructed. Wild growth, lack of maintenance, strong water currents during monsoon, and water releases from the KRS dam have taken a heavy toll on the historical bridge. 

A view of the new bridge

Srirangapatna - Wellesley Bridge

By Meera

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Our trip to the island town of Srirangapatna was although a big disappointment as we had gone in search of ancient temples and they all had been renovated alas in the modern style. However, the existence of an ancient bridge built during the British occupation using local engineering skills came as a big surprise. After going around the Srirangapatna Fort which was once the seat of Hoysalas, we hurried down towards the riverside on which this bridge still stood mute but spoke of an interesting piece of history.

Cambodia - The Faces Of Bayon

By Meera

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It was early morning and still pleasant when I along with our group set out to see Bayon, one of the last state-built temples at Angkor Thom complex. From any of the hotels where you are staying, it is easy to grab a Tuk Tuk and make most of the scenic surroundings as all the temples are just 2-3 kilometres away. Our guide who was at our hotel at 5 am itself, motivated us to leave early to escape the scorching sun. He informed us the temple complex was once the capital city of the great King Jayavarman VII during late 12th and early 13 centuries.

 

Angkor Thom with walls, moats 

Cambodia –Bayon Temple

By Meera

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Travelling across the world, I have come across many structures and monuments, however, the most impressive of these structures have been from the Khmer civilization which traces its roots to India. There are no words to describe the Wat culture – I mean a temple in the Khmer language. Hundreds of temples have been found and dug in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia over a period of 100 years. These temples had remained buried for many centuries with Cambodians not even aware of their own rich and glorious past.

 

Outside face of Bayon temple 

Belur Chennakeshava Temple

- A Peek Into the Domestic Tales

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from Part I

Our temples have this unique identity of not only depicting gods and goddesses but also of telling us stories from daily life. They are the time capsules of their century and they do a very good job of helping us peek back into their times.  While centuries have gone by, looking at these carvings, it sometimes feels as if nothing much has changed.  

Couples, families and human interactions make up for a significant amount of miniature carvings. In this part of the Belur series, I've kept my focus on the domestic scene. Some I understood, while some I'll leave it to your understanding.  

No amount of time is sufficient to soak in all the history that is etched in every visible surface of this beautiful temple. But we had a couple of other places to cover, so with much reluctance, I forced myself to speed up my pace. But even in that time, the number of details that sprung out at me from every nook and corner was simply overwhelming. 

Come, see for yourself....

A couple in Belur temple

Belur Chennakeshava Temple

The Carvings Amidst The Carvings

By Tharangini

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What can I tell you about the Chennakeshava temple in Belur, that has already not been told? The undisputable source of inspiration to so many and the undeniable jaw-dropping excellence and beauty has been written about almost everywhere.  So forgive me if I cannot shine any new light on these wonders.  But I did try with great difficulty to look beyond the beautiful Mandanikas to get a closer look at the tinier treats that acted as fillers to the main carvings.  I was not disappointed. 

One of the Mandanikas-
The lady with a parrot
Image Credit - Ramani Shankar

Srirangapatna Fort History

The Ancient Riverine Citadel

By Meera

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If one has to take a peek at the ancient part of the Srirangapatna Fort in Karnataka, the entry from the Delhi Gate side is ideal. Now, how many people know the historicity of this citadel as Murali, our guide, advocate and local temple priest related its roots going back to the 14th century when Vijaynagar kings ruled these parts. The construction of the Srirangapatna Fort started as far back as 1454 and therefore when one moves from one section to another, it clearly takes one to an era where different kings have fortified their kingdom as per the needs of the time.

Srirangapatna Fort

A Citadel That Speaks Of History From Different Periods

By Meera

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In search of ancient temples in Srirangapatna that has retained its original heritage, we stumbled on a citadel that speaks volumes from different periods but not much is known about. We know only from the 18th century how Tipu Sultan had fortified and added more structures to it. But this is a fort from an ancient era and historians have neither dug into its past nor probed into this Vijaynagar heritage far from Ballari. In fact, many parts of the Srirangapatna fort that is hidden by green outgrowths and mosses - remains unexplored and neglected while only the last rulers from this walled structure have been dwelt upon and written about. 

Nageshwara And Chennakeshava Temples

-  Where Mohini & Varahi Beckon

By Tharangini

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Awesome....Thanks for staying on from part II. 

As I was walking around the temple trying to understand and decipher as many carvings as I could, I came across a couple of small kids playing catch. To my horror, they were happily using the carvings for target practice. A couple of adults nearby did not even seem to realise the harm that was being caused.

A beautiful carving - Photo Credit - Ramani Shankar

I just took a wild guess that they must be kids from the surrounding village for whom the temple complex was just a centuries-old playground. In the nicest and firmest voice I could muster, I asked them to play elsewhere. Only after that another villager came running and took charge of the situation. 

No wonder there are so many broken noses, faces and other fractured pieces of carvings in the temple. 

Nageshwara And Chennakeshava Temples

-  Carvings & More

By Tharangini

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Thanks for walking with me from part I.

Remember my blog about Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple in Bhadravati, where I spoke about the figurine of 'the man in the long coat'? The priest in that temple had told us that that figurine was of the chief architect of the temple. 

The supposed Visha Kanya
or the mystery person in the 
long coat

I was absolutely surprised when I saw a very similar carving here and I was told that this is the 'Visha Kanya' or poisonous maiden. The 'Visha Kanyas' were brought up from childhood with controlled doses of poison. By the time they were grown up their mere touch could kill someone. 

Nageshwara And Chennakeshava Temples

- The Twins Of Mosale Hosehalli

By Tharangini

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This trip was different. I was not travelling with Meera. This trip was with a different group of people, who were equally, happily enthusiastic about heritage, and my parents. In fact, I was not even originally supposed to travel. But after being cooped up for so long, unable to do the right kind of justice to spotted owlets and its mission to bring as many stories as possible from hidden gems all over, I just chose to grab the chance and I am glad I did. 

Our journey was supposed to take us to Belur, Halebidu, Veeranarayana Swamy temple at Belavadi and Dodda Gadavalli. But after a recent and unfortunate desecration of an idol at Dodda Gadavalli by some misguided treasure hunters, the plan had to be changed. 

This took us through some very scenic and incredibly pleasant roads on that cloud interspersed winter morning to the twin temples of Nageshwara and Chennakeshva at Mosale Hosehalli. There are times when seated at the far end of a 21 seater bus makes you feel every bump and stone personally. The journey, however, was overall fun and totally worth it. This included the roller coaster drop and climb over a dried-up water canal since there was a bridge construction right next to it. Google maps also showed a long thin road snaking across seemingly nowhere to suddenly reach the temple. 

The twins of Moasale Hosehalli

Veeranarayana Temple In Belavadi - Additional Information

By Tharangini

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The main story of this temple can be found here.

It was an incredible feeling when I got a chance to visit the Veeranarayana Swamy temple at Belavadi again.  I had started this year with a visit to this temple in January. I do not know how it works, but I guess some energy from the temple made sure I visited the temple again before the year-end. 

The seven doorways or Sapthadwara

Chikkamagaluru - A 100-Year-Old Unique Heritage

By Meera

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Belavadi is a tiny and quaint village and is just 10 kilometres from the world-famous Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebeedu in Hassan district.

In the aftermath of visiting the famous Hoysala style architectural marvel, the Veeranarayana Swamy Temple at Belavadi in Chikkamagaluru district, we took a stroll around the village which once had about 400 Brahmin families living around the temple. 

It was a hot and sunny day and to walk around the village made us thirsty and hungry but this village has neither any tourist facility nor any hotels or restaurants. Despite our rumbling stomach, we decided to take a peek around this ancient village.

Front view of the house

Lepakshi Temple

-  The Incomplete Kalyan Mantapa And More

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from Part IV

Another place filled with drama, intrigue and designs is the incomplete Kalyan Mantapa or the marriage hall near the southwest side of the temple. 

The pillars stand all decked up in their incredible carvings, yet bare because of the missing ceiling.  Our guide dramatically narrated the macabre story behind the unfinished mandapa. 

Entrance to the kalyan mantapa

Lepakshi Temple

-  Hanging Pillar And Other Architectural Expertise

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from part III

The story of the hanging pillar of Lepakshi is definitely not a new one, but it still does not fail to intrigue.  Of the 70 pillars in the dancing hall, one pillar was the chosen one. Hanging from the ceiling in a perfectly straight manner, this pillar balances the weight of all the other pillars around it. Such an immaculate calculation of the place, weight, angle and positioning of the pillar!!!

The hanging pillar

Lepakshi Temple

- The Enthralling Murals

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from part II.

 All over the ceiling in the dancing hall are colorful murals depicting various stories from mythology.  Just walking around with head tilted upwards to see these paintings was a challenge enough. So how did the artisans of the bygone eras manage to achieve such incredible perfectionism in their ceiling paintings? 

Also considering that their paints were entirely made of natural substances and have managed to survive almost five centuries, makes one wonder about the modern-day paints. It might be really interesting to paint our houses with veggies, fruits and leaves. 

Ganesha And Ravana

Lepakshi Temple

- The Dancing Hall

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from Part I here.

Climbing up a few steps from the entrance, we reached the dancing hall.  Interesting carvings beckoned us, but after we learnt the story behind each carving we were more than enamored.   

The center hall is beautifully spacious with a tall ceiling. The ceiling is designed like a lotus with around 100 petals distributed in 4 whorls.

The Ceiling In The Dancing Hall

Lepakshi Temple

- History And Significance

By Tharangini

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We were supposed to meet just for a pizza. Then we decided to maybe just go for a long drive and have pizza on the way back. After a breakfast of crisp, hot masala dosas and some piping hot coffee at the Bangalore Cafe, we set off. 

We had no idea where we were going, so we decided to go near Nandi hills and explore some more places nearby. Just as we were nearing the toll, one of my friends brought up this brilliant idea of going to the Lepakshi temple. So we topped on the first breakfast with a second breakfast at 'Nandi Upachaar' at the junction of Nandi Hills and we were on the way to Lepakshi temple in the town of Lepakshi along the Karnataka-Andhra border. 

Jatayu In Jatayu Theme Park

Bhutan

- The Mighty And Magical Journey Across Eastern Himalayas

By Meera

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As we drove down from Bagdogra in India to Phuentsholing, the gateway to Bhutan, crossing Siliguri, Darjeeling and the eastern periphery of West Bengal - dusty plains followed by terraced fields in the bordering district, the journey did not seem laborious or difficult.  On the way, we passed through the beginning of the eastern Himalayas while it was a pleasure to watch the meandering Teesta River, the Dooars forest and innumerable tea estates.