The nearest places for weekend outings from Bengaluru are many but very few places shine with ancient historicity and a glorious past. So, if one sifts and chooses the right one, there is one such place tucked on the banks of the Cauvery River. Although it is hot and quiet, it beckons one who is interested in the glorious heritage of this country. So, if you are interested – do make a trip to Talakadu. It has a few homestays but nothing more to boast of.
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| Cauvery river at Talakadu |
Buried in the sands of time, that is what everyone calls this ancient land of Talakadu. Situated just about 130 kilometers from the IT hub of
Bengaluru, Talakadu reminds one of a forgotten old empire locked away in one hot and dusty corner. It lies on the left bank of the Cauvery River and that too at a spot where the river takes a sharp bend.
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| The sand pathway |
This place has seen the rule of many dynasties and where every temple had been submerged by sand for hundreds of years. Excavations that continued long revealed the existence of 6-7 temples although this town is supposed
to be home to 30 temples. So, the rest continues to be buried in these hot, burning sands, and maybe, they too will be excavated one day. Here,
the excavated temples (except one) are all dedicated to Lord Shiva and
therefore, many devotees land up here for the unique Panchalinga temples
that are spread across the dunes.
The abode of the Ganga kings, this fabled land which sees mention in the
Puranic verses, today still retains the past glory of this empire. They ruled these lands from the 4th to the 10th century and have left behind many monuments that are yet to be discovered. Later, this land was taken over by Cholas and then annexed by the Hoysalas. Then this came under the rule of Vijaynagar kings and lastly by the Wodeyar dynasty. But a major portion of Talakadu even today is covered by sand. Now, why did it turn
into a land of dunes amid the flow of the Cauvery River?
According to various claims and stories, it was due to Rani Alamelamma’s
curse that it became a land full of dunes and a sandy shore in the 16th
century. Our guide related the tale of the curse – how Rani Alamelamma,
wife of Sri Ranga Raya (ruler of Srirangapatna) was duped by Mysore
Maharaja Raja Wodeyar of her kingdom and jewels after her husband’s death.
She jumped into the Cauvery but cursed the Mysore King to be deprived of any heirs and Talakadu be completely covered by sand. It is said in the aftermath of this curse, the wealthy land turned into a desert-like city.
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| And a lot more of the pathway |
Even as I walked along with my family around the temple town of Talakadu and came to the gateway for visiting the five temples, a local guide informed us that one has to walk for at least 3-4 Kms before exiting the covered sand pathway after seeing four temples. Only two temples are outside this covered pathway. So, if it is difficult for some people to
walk in the hot sands, it is better to avoid and just see the two main
temples of Vaidyanatheshwara and Keerthi Narayana temples.
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| Pathaleshwara temple |
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| Temple carvings |
Although a shelter has been provided throughout the four-kilometer walk,
your feet tend to sag and one’s feet sink in the sand at some points where
the sand quantity is more. On the way, one meets a lot of people who are
selling pooja materials or inviting you to the temples for making
offerings as also lots of monkeys who follow you at some of the points and
ask for food.
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| Excavated idols from Maraleshwara Temple |
Vaidyanatheshwara temple is the first temple one sees and after this, it is Paataleshwara and Maruleshwara temples. And then Arakeshwara and
Mallikarjuna temple and completes the Panchalinga darshan. As the name suggests, for the second and third temple, one has to go down a bit to see the excavated structures. However, if one visits only
Vaidyanatheshwara and Keerthi Narayana temples, that will be satisfying in
terms of viewing a great subject of art and architecture.
More in Part II
How To Reach There
Talakadu is a temple town and is 45 km from Mysuru and 133 km from
Bengaluru in Karnataka. It is easy to drive over from Bengaluru, taking the NH-209 from Kanakpura road and after reaching Malavalli, one has to take a deviation to reach Talakadu. There are multiple routes to
Talakadu from Bengaluru as one can take the
Ramanagara-Channapatna-Maddur-Malavalli route. You can also take the
Srirangapatna-Bannur-Somnathpur route.
Location map:
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