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

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.