Anegundi Rock Paintings -II

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from Part I 

For thousands of years, the Tungabhadra River Valley has been a repository of human endeavor and we see this manifestation in the Anegundi rock paintings. How the pre-historic colors of Anegundi cave paintings have managed to survive on open rock faces for thousands of years is a mystery. They seem to have used red laterite clay for the painting which is easily available in this part of the world.

The Cave shelters from the Iron Age in Anegundi

Anegundi Rock Paintings

By Meera

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Visiting the World Heritage Site of Hampi year after year has become a pilgrimage but this time after a let up in the pandemic, our Spotted Owlets team traversed to some offbeat places in this ancient landscape. There is something more to see around Hampi and in the neighboring land of Anegundi, we got to see some rare and prehistoric rock art that is off the tourist track and hardly visited by anybody.

 

Anything to do with stone age or new stone age and relics from any era is very fascinating as one gets to know how humans lived during those days. We have seen dolmens, menhirs, iron tools and many other things in Shivamogga, Bengaluru and Ballari districts but the Onake Kindi rock paintings of Anegundi in Koppal district is amazing as it has survived till date.

View of the hillocks with gate closed

Pompayya Malemath's Ecofarm

By Tharangini

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The recurring lockdown had taken its toll on all of us. So the moment the air cleared and the cases reduced considerably, we felt safe enough to travel. But we also needed a place that could provide us with enough social distancing. That was easier said than done, with the entire city trying to escape from the humdrum of the lockdown. 

 

With much trepidation, I called Pompayya Sir, my most trusted contact in Hampi. I was not sure which accommodation will be available there and whether it would be as secluded as we wanted it to be. I can safely say, the one main reason I've visited Hampi as many times as I've done, was because of the absolute confidence I have in Pompayya sir, to make every single trip memorable in his own unique way.

 

Sure enough, this time too, he immediately replied, 'you can stay in my farmhouse'.  Over the better part of the last decade, I've seen this farm and the structure in it grow tree by tree and brick by brick. But I was in no way prepared for what awaited us as Adhikari, Meera, and myself arrived at Pompayya Sir's Ecofarm. 

 

 The structure had grown into a beautiful accommodation. Two rooms flanked a 'harate (chit chat) room', a place to just sit around and gossip. It was surrounded by tall trees and green vegetation. The entire setting took our breath away. 

 

Both rooms have three beds each, with a spacious attached bathroom and a separate dressing area. Both rooms are well ventilated to allow enough fresh air to come in.

In fact, with us visiting during the rains, the nights actually got a bit nippy - something we did not expect in a region where the weather is always 'hot, hotter or hottest' according to Pompayya Sir. This was the magic of the mini forest created by him. 

 

Home-cooked meals awaited us for lunch before we started our activities there. Most of the meals are prepared in typical North Karnataka style. So simple and so delicious that we had to consciously remind ourselves to eat light.

 

Right from waking up to the calls of the peacocks and the hot cups of coffee and tea or watching the farming activities right in front of the rooms, every single aspect of this place oozes with unlimited charm. 

 

I'll allow the images and videos to do the rest of the talking.  Spottedowlets recommends Pompayya Malemath's Ecofarm.

His personal attention to detail and his hospitality towards all his guests add leaps and bounds to the charm of the place. 

Front view of a room
&
the 'Harate' (chit chat) room

Front View of the 
other room

View from the room

Entrance from the back
(fishpond side)

A view of the fishpond

Sit-out near the room
Perfect for those warm evenings.

And the view from the sit-out

Clean, large bathrooms Clean, large bathrooms

 

Even the pump-set and 
the utility room is beautifully 
designed

Design outside the pantry 

Design outside the pantry

A view inside the room

View of the dressing area 
inside the room

The variety of dishes
during lunch hour

Another view just to make
your mouth water

Homemade pappads and fried chilli

Top it off with a glass of
hot tea

 Activities in and around the Ecofarm

 Photography

 Visit to: Daroji- Sloth Bear Sanctuary

 Visit to: Hampi Monuments

 Birding

Just Chilling

 

How to get there:

You can reach Hospet either by train or bus.

The farm is around 30 minutes drive from Hospet Bus Stand and around  35 minutes drive from the Hospet Railway Station.

The travel time from Vidyanagar airport is 50 minutes. 

For driving - The highways are well maintained and the drive from Bangalore is about 6 hours without breaks. 

 

Tariff and Booking:

The tariff is customized according to the guest requirements of birding, sightseeing, need for guides, visiting the Sloth Bear sanctuary, etc. 

Contact Mr. Pompayya Malemath on +91 9449136252 

or write to him on ps.malemath@gmail.com for booking details.

Location map:

Shivamogga – New Stone Age

By Meera

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Shivamogga is considered to be the Gateway to Malnad with its vast forests, waterfalls, and heavy monsoons. But the verdant district hides a very ancient past when humans were still learning to develop stone tools and implements. Now how many of you know that this district has more than 25 stone age settlements.

 

Tool from new stone age era

Shivamogga- Shivappa Nayaka Palace Museum

By Meera

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 Our visit to an ancient site housing a Menhir – a funerary stone in Bhadravati had roused our curiosity about megalithic times. But just not these, the recent findings and discoveries from New Stone Age in the Shivamogga district had fuelled our imagination and interest in not only this era but also other times – some of them recently.

Tipu Sultan – Armory’s History

By Meera

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Crossing over from one area to another in this small island town, it is littered with many edifices that have a history ranging from ancient to old. Ancient temples abound here but for us, it was the armory that generated a lot of interest. In ancient India, we have not seen the existence of armories but Tipu’s armories can be seen in some districts of Karnataka. Some are intact while some are being renovated.

 

In his 17 years of rule, the warrior of Mysuru -Tipu Sultan had armored himself well, and therefore, this had led to the construction of 11 armories across his kingdom stretching from Mysore to Bangalore to Tumakuru to other places in the south interior parts of Karnataka. Most of these are located near forts or palaces that he had built.

 

The dilapidated armory

Tipu Sultan - The Armory

By Meera

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In a land which is replete with structures and monuments from different eras as also its beautiful riverine heritage, how can one ignore or not wonder about some rectangular and square structures built here and there in this ancient landscape ruled by a plethora of dynasties? Some of these structures look worn out while some are relocated and renovated with a modern look.

 

As Tharangini, Srinivas Adhikari and I wandered around the temple town of Srirangapatna in Mandya taluk of Karnataka, India, our friendly advocate Murali put in a word of how these structures that is “armories” built by Warrior King Tipu Sultan had undergone restoration in the island town.

Front View

Ramadevarabetta Hills

Kote Anjeneya Temple

By Meera

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A view of the  broken steps to the anjaneya temple 

Ramdevarabetta Hills in Ramnagara district of Karnataka which is now a vulture sanctuary has innumerable temples from different eras and each pertaining and depicting the visit of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman during their 14 long years of Vanvaas. So, one can see many young enthusiasts as also old people during the weekdays as also the weekends who flock in great numbers to the main temple of Pattabhirama. However, a few of them also make it a point to visit other temples. Some are easily accessible while some are remote and isolated.

Ramdevarabetta Hills

A Rocky Climb

By Meera

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The Ramdevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary 

After a long gap, I was on a weekend trip but this time it was not with Tharangini but with a group of relatives. This was a trip organized by my niece Ramya and we decided to venture to a location made famous in Bollywood’s classical blockbuster “Sholay.” This movie was shot in the scenic rocky and weather-worn hills of Ramdevarabetta in Ramanagara district of Karnataka state, India.

The Soligas - Lifestyle, Worship and Rituals

By Tharangini

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Thanks for joining me from the previous part. Let's continue with Mahadevagowda's narration of the Soligas' lifestyle..

Mahadevagowda

Life in the forest

Life inside the forest needed a lot of skills, to survive and stay alive. The staple diet consisted of various tubers and the leafy greens that grew there. Despite living amongst so many animals, the Soligas never hunted and they knew how to keep themselves from being hunted too. Apart from this, they knew how to identify the various forest fruits that were safe for consumption. The Soligas are also experts in collecting forest honey, which was also a part of their diet.  

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.