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

Discovering Life on the Mighty Mekong

By Meera

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Hopping in and out of South East Asia, one fine morning, I landed in the tiny landlocked country of Laos PDR. This is an ancient land having ties with India dating back 2000 years. Although not on the regular tourist map of any visitor, my interest in its culture and its simple people made me hop on to a four day trip and I flew quietly into the quaint capital city of Vientiane.

Vientiane, capital of Laos PDR

Veeranarayana Temple In Belavadi

- The Saga of Ageless Unspoiled Beauty

By Tharangini

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When I first walked into the Veeranarayana temple in Belavadi, which is about 29 km away from Chikmagalur, my first instinct was to hug every pillar and stone in the temple. After having seen so many ancient temples falling victims to modern granite and worse, bathroom tiles in the name of renovations, this temple with its original look and beauty, was  like a much needed breath of fresh air. It was also so intoxicating that I was immediately smitten by its beauty.

Temple view from a nearby cottage

The Koppal Habitat - An Immensely Grounding Experience - II

By Tharangini

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Part II

In case you have missed out on Part I , click here.

The vast expanse of the Sanganal landscape

During the second half of the day with warm sunshine to keep us company, we moved to Sanganal. This is  the area of black cotton soil, now painted green during the farming season.  It was green as far as eyes could see and the same would be black once the crops were harvested. This was the choice habitat for the blackbucks. The uneven path of the undulating terrain through the vast  green stretches tossed us around in the vehicle. We were shaken, stirred and had our bones rearranged multiple times during our journey through Sanganal. The blackbucks were nowhere to be seen.

The Koppal Habitat - An Immensely Grounding Experience - I

By Tharangini

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Part I

The warm Wednesday afternoon had just transformed into a cool comfortable and almost chill evening. Entering into Hagedhal as guests of Indrajit Ghorpade in his farmhouse, the first thought was to breathe in and store as much oxygen as  possible during the couple of days we were going to be there. 

We were here to learn a bit about Koppal, the precious inmates of this unique habitat and the efforts of Indrajit Ghorpade and his DCF (Deccan Conservation Foundation) team in their conservation efforts to protect the region.

After being welcomed by Durganna and Suraj, a nice warm dinner of local North Karnataka cuisine  awaited our hungry stomachs. The dinner was outdoors, set to an orchestra of a thousand insects under the shimmering night sky. Warm food, chill evening breeze, a sea of stars, music of nature - I was in the embrace of heaven for sure. The enamor  of the night sky and the entire ambience took my breath away even as the others chatted. This was the perfect recipe to get grounded and connect with mother earth.

Jigme Dorji National Park

By Meera

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The Misty Mountainous Land With Its Many Hidden Colours And Life

The entrance to the Park

If you want to soak in unbelievable views, breathe pure and mountainous air that too at high altitudes, then take a trip down the royal kingdom of Bhutan. Even as such in this nation, when traversing from place to place, we have to either go up or down continuously. If you are nature lover and also freak on trekking and have young legs, this is the ultimate destination.

Kinnal Crafts - Generations Of Incredible Creations

By Tharangini

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For two days we had averaged 10 - 11 hours on the road. We had already been on road since early in the morning for the day and it was 5pm now. Information overload was almost short circuiting our brains when Meera and myself reached the Kinnal village along with Pompayya Sir for some insight about the beautiful Kinnal art.  But all we could think about was another 5 hours of journey ahead of us and a bus journey home. We reached the workshop of Dharmanna Chitragar, who was busy working on his temple model. It was a modest workshop with older models of his art, covered in cloth, occupying considerable space. Some more pieces that were returned in exchange for newer pieces sat on the loft observing us intently.

Folk Heritage Museum Of Bhutan - The Bhutanese Way Of Life A Century Ago

By Meera

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I have seen many a museum in my travails and sojourns across the world. Some of them have been very vast, boring, lengthy, cluttered and complicated that it has put me to sleep. But a set of barns, farm fields, cooking pots and mud huts in a traditional house and that too in a capital city for showcasing the rural and cultural history of a young nation, triggered my interest.

Ilkal Saris - Beautiful Threads And Hand Woven Efforts

- Beautiful Threads And Hand Woven Efforts

By Tharangini

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My familiarity with Ilkal saris was limited to the rare visits to sari shops with my mother. A chance visit to Ilkal however gave me an opportunity to see the making of these beautiful threads in person and from a very different perspective. The dusty streets of Ilkal reverberated with  the rhythmic clanking of the power looms. But the primary interest was to find those few who were still married to traditional hand loom weaving. A few streets later an extremely modest and old house, that could easily be dated back to about 60 years or more, came into view.

Lambani Women

- A Memorable Noon With Their Colorful Culture

By Tharangini

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It was nearing 12 noon. We had been on the road since 6 am, after just a cup of tea. There was a distinct and collective growl in our stomachs indicating it was way past breakfast time and almost nearing lunchtime. Durganna and Suraj, who were both educating and introducing us to the flora and fauna of the terrain, Pompayya Sir, Meera and myself were just heading back from Talur lake towards Hagedhal, almost dreaming of a hearty meal . The dull December warmth was a soothing and welcome break from the cloudy skies of Bangalore.

Mirrors, coins and all the paraphernalia of the traditional Lambani women costume 

Gangaramaya Temple

- An Amazing Abode Of Buddha

By Meera

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If you want to see Buddha in every form and imagination and from every corner of the world, then make your way to Sri Lanka. Here he rests in peaceful contemplation for his followers and other believers to gaze to their heart’s content and wonder  at the artistic passion and dedication of the creators.

Magic Of The Evening Puja At Virupaksha Temple

By Tharangini

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It had been a long day of travel and birding for a couple of friends and me in Hampi. Though it was still early in the year, the afternoon heat had drained our energy and we were at a point of just dragging our feet around. But there was something more in store for us. An experience so different and so profound that even to this day when I close my eyes, the scene remains fresh in my memory.

The start of the rituals

Inspirational Women - The New Life Of Tribal Super Farmers

By Meera

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A bountiful of chilli cultivated  on unfriendly lands

Albeit a harsh and dry land hidden amid scrub forests, a few women have strived to grow chilly, chia, tomatoes, beans and pumpkins which jostle with another relating the tale of their success in small parcels of land. Thanks to dedicated help from a wildlife conservation organization, a group of tribal farmers at Sollepura have reaped the benefits of their hard work after many years of toil. Once living amid the jungles of Nagarhole, they were relocated outside by the government but it took them many years to adapt to a new life.

Kuruba Hospitality

- One Amazing Afternoon With The Nomadic Shepherds 

By Tharangini

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It was a lazy afternoon one October when my friends and me had a chance to experience the hospitality of the amazing Kurubas - the nomadic shepherds of North Karnataka. They are a very interesting group of people, we were told and we were not disappointed. The sun shone lazily and the whole atmosphere was languid when we wandered into their camp. Goats and lambs were bleating away,  some feeding and some looking at us with drowsy eyes. I tried to step gingerly between piles of droppings trying to avoid them but soon realized with numbers on their side, it was an unwinnable situation for me.