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.

 

Our Moon

– The Lunar Fascination Continues In All Serenity

By Meera

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‘The Moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to’ said Carl Sandburg and for many of us, this is a reality as also a stress buster. At night when it shines luminously, it makes my life bright and meaningful. With so many imperfections, it is still the most beautiful and the most fascinating natural satellite to watch from our planet with naked eyes. It was time for me to join many fellow enthusiasts and other curious people from around the world to watch the Moon.

Image Credit: Tharangini

Our Moon

-A Closer And Keener Look To Satisfy Our Curiosity

By Meera

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I have always felt that when making celestial observations, it is always better to respect one’s traditions, people’s cultural beliefs associated with the moon. Since ages, man’s life has been intimately connected with the Moon and their lives too are woven around it, in whatever form they are. In fact, the earth’s satellite is represented sometimes as a male deity or female goddess in different cultures.

Image credit : Kantharaj

The Talented Gollas

- Wandering Bards On The Streets Of Bangalore

By Tharangini

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The Tuesday morning was dull and cloudy, like most mornings in the recent months in Bangalore. The sun was sufficiently obscured and the sense of time was lost as the whole day looked uniformly grey.  With great difficulty, I was trying to motivate myself to begin the day's chores. It has not been an easy task these days with both the weather and the covid scenario keeping most people closeted indoors.

Giridarshini Homestay - BR Hills

By Tharangini

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Last updated on : 9th December 2022

Tucked away in the base of BR Hills is a quaint homestay. I first visited this place around 2011 and have frequented there pretty often. In this new 'We recommend' section we are starting, I thought I could introduce this place to all our readers in case a trip to BR hills is planned. This is the Giridarshini homestay.

Chikkamagaluru – The Marle Heritage

- With Its Intricate Siddeshwara Temple

By Meera

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The Marle Hoysala temples stand like sentinels in the remote backyard of Chikkamagaluru taluk in Karnataka. The age-old temples of Marle from the 10th century have stood the test of time despite its neglect. These unknown temples are just 14 and 17 kilometers from the world famous Belur and Halebid temples but nobody is aware of this. 

Outer temple walls

Chikkamagaluru - Marle Hoysala Heritage

-With Its Ornate Keshava Temple

By Meera

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Moving out of the tourist circuit, Tharangini and I  decided to take a peek at an ancient temple complex which is not on the map of any pilgrims or tourists. But since our aim is to highlight unknown heritage structures, we decided to visit. Making our way out of Chikkamagaluru town after an afternoon siesta, we crossed many green fields that were basking gloriously in the afternoon sun.  Even as our glance moved from left to right, it showed farmers were busy harvesting their crops while some youngsters were loitering around in village corners.

 

Veeresh, our friend who had been talking about this ancient temple complex in Marle village drove us to this place but it became a bit circuitous as even he had forgotten the way. However, a few villagers guided us to this beautiful complex standing in one corner adjoining a huge water tank. We could not reach the temples as the road was cut and we had to take a U-turn and crisscross many dozing cattle to reach the temple gate.

 

A view of the temples

Pondicherry

– A Tranquil, Soothing Time On The Paradise Island

By Meera

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Just like Goa, the French styled city of Pondicherry too is known for its pristine and crystal-clear beaches. But one does not see the same jostling crowds on its golden white sands and beaches.

Therefore, a visit to Paradise Island should not be missed if you want to forget the world. The beach is in fact, located right at the mouth of the Chunnambar backwaters. This place is considered a paradise as it is flanked by a creek on one side and dark mangroves on the other side.

View from ferry

Pondicherry

– The Amazing Ride On The Chunnambar Backwaters

By Meera

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There is something magical when one goes on a winding journey from a river to the endless expanse of a sea. Traveling in a steamer and enjoying the windy, choppy journey, I ask you to visualize my thrilling experience in just three minutes. It is not just the Arabian Sea but even on the Bay of Bengal and the eastern coast of India, one gets such moments to take up such escapades once in a while. 

 As we were winding up our visit to Pondicherry,  Loganathan, our guide-cum-driver who took us to most of the sights in this old French colonial town, was insistent that we should not miss this incredible experience. Although we had hardly any time at our disposal since we were taking the night bus back to Bengaluru, he dropped us off at the Chunnambar Boat office by 3 pm. I was already exhausted as it was a hot Tuesday afternoon and pretty sticky and sweltering even in the month of January.

Tungabhadra Backwaters

- A Home Away From Home For Winter Visitors

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from Part I.

A couple of young guys announced that the boat was ready. I looked around and did not see anything. Then they asked us to leave our footwear and walk up to the boat. It was just getting more and more curious. 

As we walked, the ground looked deceptively dry and cracked from the lack of moisture. One step in and the underlying clay announced its presence in the most slippery way. Slipping and sliding along we reached the boat. This was no place to make a splash in life. 

The multipurpose boat was used for both fishing and birding. I was not even remotely mentally prepared for this kind of ride. As five of us sat balanced on the rim, hanging on to the boat and the camera was quite a challenge. There were no life jackets and while others boasted about their swimming skills, I held on tighter to the rim.  Even as flocks and flocks of spoonbills, openbills, ibis, terns and ducks flew by, there was little I could do other than gawk.

Ibis and terns flying together

Tungabhadra Backwaters

- A Winter Paradise for Birds 

By Tharangini

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Earlier in the Otter story, I had spoken about the morning adventure in Tungabhadra backwaters.This, in an attempt to see the long-legged beauties that come to these backwaters for some lodging and boarding during the winter months.Yes, the flamingos.  

I had been harping about seeing these birds forever. Pompayya Sir had put together a fine little itinerary for the day to ensure that I would not have to leave without seeing them during this visit.The day started pretty early, still not bright outside as we drove towards Ankasamudra for a brief stop. Any bird lover in and around Karnataka would be well aware of the haven this place is for birds from all over.

We were there to meet Vijay Ittigi and Raju, who were among the key players in getting this place declared as a bird sanctuary. Since most newspapers have that story, I'll just stick to my experience here. Most of which was fascinating enough for me to keep scooping my jaw off the floor.

Pelicans at  Ankasamudra

Prayagraj – The Gutsy Siberian Seagulls At The Sangam

By Meera

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Their sounds and numbers make their distinctive presence and lifts the very mood of a person visiting Prayagraj. If people throng and crowd the Triveni Sangam every year from across the world - not to be left behind, the gusty seagulls from Siberia come calling for their winter halt in Prayagraj, the holiest city of India.

 

Prayagraj : A Confluence Of Himalayan Rivers

By Meera

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For once in my life, I was pretty excited as I was going with a group of friends and relatives to one of the holiest cities in India, Prayagraj. Although my visit had nothing to do with anything holy, I had always wanted to see the Yamuna as she is here a major partner compared to the Ganga. Although everyone dissuaded me not to travel during the Ardh Kumb time, my mind was made up and I was pretty curious to see the biggest gathering of humans in one city, therefore, nothing could stop me, cholera or the crowds.