Journeys across Karnataka

Belur Fort

2012-01-31T00:33:00.000-08:00

Armed with a map with six forts and one ancient temple marked on it. My destinations of the day were- - Belur, Wakandurga, Chikanal, Gudur, Kelur, Mangalgud, Siddankolla and Aihole. I started the journey towards Belur.

Shivu arrived with his Indica at 4-15AM, we left almost immediately. Shivu was a slow driver, used to honk unnecessarily. We were at Belur by 7-15. After a bit of struggle we got directions to the path leading up the hill. We drove through the narrow lanes towards a water tank and found a place to park the Indica.

Shivu volunteered to join me. I tried to get few local kids to guide us, none showed interest but one did come and showed us where to start the climb. The path was filthy until we reached the water-tank. The hill was quite steep, scattered with thorny bushes, fort not visible and no stairway too. We found a man and asked directions. He asked us to follow the electric poles. Simple. Loose mud, pebbles and rocks... we climbed slowly for 15 minutes to reach the summit. Going down this path is going to be tricky.

First glimpse of Belur fort wall.

Fort temple and gateway.

Google maps grab of Belur hill. We are at point B.

A - Banashankari-Belur road
B - Fort entrance
C - Bastion and Open well

The summit is a plateau with lot of plant life; grass, thorny bushes and shrubs. The hill seems to have some wild life too, I happened to see a pair of land birds and a grey-white-brown hare. The hare was in sight for barely 2 seconds. This grass covers almost entire plateau's soil surface. I realize Shivu is not with me.

I could not make up mind to explore these ruins looks like a bastion.

As I keep walking hoping to see a large structure and I see this structure at a distance. I walk through a maze of shrubs and bushes to reach it. It looks like a bastion but its hollow inside. The only entrance to it was almost 10 feet from its base. I assume this was a specialized watch tower. Right next to it was deep pit which must have been a well, a source of water for fort staff.

I looked at the stones and gaps between them trying to calculate the risk involved in climbing up and down. Forget it, climbing down will be tricky business.

Just one small entrance, has gun holes all around it. It must have multiple uses- granary, ammunition & weapons store, emergency shelter...

I ventured a few hundred feet beyond this bastion and it became clear that I was outside the fort and was on the way to the next hill. I turn back, convinced that there's nothing more of importance here.

Once upon a time this heap of stones was a wall. Somehow I felt construction activities were abandoned in between. This is where I saw the hare, couple of leaps it was out of sight.

Neighboring hill and plains below.

This little flowering plant seem to grow out of gaps in rocks.

Other side of the ruins I passed by earlier. Built close to the southern edge of the hill this structure comprises of four bastions connected by rampart walls. It also had a elevated platform near by to provide a good view of plains below.

Little stone tower. This hill is a convenient place for shepherds to let their goats and sheep graze while they chat and nap in shaded spots. That stone tower would be their creation. That's Belur village.

The raised platform which served as a watch out.

I climb halfway up and lost confidence on the shaky stones I was stepping on. No sight of Shivu, no response to my calls. I guessed he must have gone back to his Indica. The climb down was not really tricky.

No sign of Shivu cab ...I see him walking down. It seems he saw me climbing downhill and followed me at a distance. Sneaky!

I was hungry. Found a little eatery on the main street. The place was small, cowdung smeared dirt fllor, wooden tables and benches, run by father-son duo ...simple but clean. Menu was idli, vade and upit. We went for idli-vade, the best I had in 2011. People had no information about the fort's history. Done with breakfast, I cleared the bill and asked for directions to Gudur.

Earlier in the morning we had seen the western face of Belur hill. The eastern face as seen from Belur-Neelogal road.

My plan was to hit Gudur next but few kilometers after Hosur we happened to notice an interesting looking hill. A farmer told us it was Wakkandurga, we could have gone there from Hosur itself. He asked us to go to Neelogal and come back to Wakkandurga ...its not really far. If we had not run into this friend we would have done lot of unnecessary running around. There we go to the hill fort of Wakkandurga.

Belur Fort Co-ordinates: 15°51'9"N 75°45'16"E

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Shabari Kolla

2012-01-28T00:15:00.000-08:00

This is one of the few temples dedicated to Rama's devotee Shabari. The temple is located in a cleft of a rock hill near Sureban town, Ramdurg Taluq, Belgaum district.

Shabari Kolla seems to attract crowds only on some days in a year like Amavasya and few festivals. Of course, the place would be packed with devotees and hawkers during Varsha Jaatri ~ annual fair.

We first go to the fresh water pond for a wash. Behind the main temple is this little temple. Manju identified the tree next to the temple- a Baarigida. I was surprised to see a Baarigida of this size. Usually they are seen as shrubs. The thorny plant bears a small red/brown colored edible fruit with a hard seed and funny smell.

Closer looks at the sculptures.

Hanuman's image and a Shiva Linga.

Spring water collects in twin tanks, other pond was not as clean as this. Manju is right next to a chamber from which water flows out.

I could see water flowing into this chamber from an invisible source. Water was clear and odorless. A group of people who were here just as we came took some water in few bottles.

Partially submerged idol of Ganesha.

Couple of images in the tank wall close by.

The main temple. Garbhagudi was locked, we had to peep through holes in the door to get a glimpse of the deity but with the darkness inside nothing much was visible.

The temple is ancient, architecture seems like Chalukyan, the temple could be 800 to 1000 years old. Incomplete brick & cement structures near the temple reminds me of Shisunala Shariefsaheb's grave.

Being here reminded me of Hooli hills and Varavi Siddeshwara. If rainfall was good, this place would have a different look ...streams, cascades and waterfalls would liven up the entire hill and its surroundings. I'll wait for that day.

On the same hill, about a couple of kilometers from Shabri Kolla is another temple- place where Swami Shivananda (contemporary of Siddarooda Swami) performed meditation for many years and attained enlightenment. Swami Shivananda's son Swami Atmananda was also an enlightened soul. Swami Atmananda set up an ashram at Hangarki village, about 20km from Dharwad. The ashram is managed by Swami Atmananda's daughter and grandchildren.

Shabari Kolla Coordinates: 15°53'55"N 75°22'11"E

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Mudkavi Fort

2012-01-21T00:16:00.000-08:00

I could have visited Mudkavi Fort during the visit to Ramdurg Fort if I was attentive during research. Distance between the Mudkavi and Ramdurg is barely 20km. Anyway, the day has come. Manju and I drove here after we were done with work at Tirlapur. Mudkavi Fort is situated on a slope of a hillock. Half the village is within the fort. Even a government school building is within this fort walls.

A - Flag bastion, close to Mudkavi bus-stand
B - main entrance and lake
C - inner fort's gateway
D - Maddinakoli ~ ammunition store in a bastion
E - temple and open well
F - Hanuman Mandir and Erannagudi

Main entrance of the fort.

Right next to the gateway are two temples. This is Hanuman temple.

Eranna temple. One of the villagers mentioned that the temple was in ruins few years back. A family from Shimoga for whom this is a home deity came here and got the temple done up and pooja is being performed here ever since. Ex-chief minister of Karnataka B.S.Yediyurappa has visited this temple two times and donated money for the temple's maintenance.

We hooked a bunch of curious kids into showing us around their fort. We start from the lake. Rains having skipped this area, the water level is lower than previous years ... marks were visible on the walls.

We were on one of the two 7' wide walls forming a protrusion into the lake. Nice spot to jump off ...splash!!

Part of the wall along the lake, local kids pointed the small shelter and called it as mangyana-mani ~ monkey house. Our escort consisted of 6 kids aged 4 to 10 years, all bare foot.

The kids lead us to the western wall. This wall has has six bastions located at regular intervals. Most of the bastions and rampart walls are in bad shape, in the verge of collapsing. Many of the bastions are inaccessible because of peek-jaali kanti. To our left were the massive rampart walls of the inner fort. The five of the six bastions of the inner fort square and one is circular.

Gun holes at regular intervals can be seen at the top. From here we head to the south-western corner bastion with a hope to climb to the top.

Jaaligida blocked the way. One of the kids offered to find a way but I did not want anything to do with peek-jaali in hot weather. We walk back towards the inner fort.

To the extreme is the circular bastion, the largest in this fort. Our guides told us we could climb to the top.

Royal emblem embossed on the bastion. A close looks at the gun-holes- see how precisely the grooves are etched out. I realized these grooves were made after the wall was built. The stone workers must have had special tools for this particular work.

Gateway to the inner fort.

Architecture is simple and functional. A flight of steps to reach the top is camouflaged.

The inner fort occupies about five acres. To the left, you can see two flights of steps. Except for a dry open well and ruins of a temple, the inside is mostly plain ground. Perhaps a palace or granary did exist here.

If not for the Deepastambha, the ruins would not have been identified as that of a temple's. In the background is the bastion with ammunition store.

Our little guides.

We asked the smallest two not to climb up, both were disappointed. I felt bad seeing the sad looks on their faces. The stairway was narrow and the steps were high ...not a comfortable climb. As we enter the opening on the left, we could see another stairway to the left leading up and a chamber which was used to store ammunition for the cannon atop the bastion. Sadly the cannon is missing.

Looking towards the main gateway. A smaller gateway can be seen in the northern wall.

These walls are high but do not seem to be proportionally thick.

We climb down and head back to the lake to explore the complex gateway. The gateway has three entrances- one is wide enough for humans & horses, second is wide enough for elephants but not tall enough and third one is a regular passage wide enough for elephants, chariots and cannons. The bastions flanking the gateway are in bad shape.
The smaller passages connect to the lake while the other one has a curved ramp.

Remnants of wood work in the gateway.

As seen from the lake edge; the passage is curved and designed not to be easily noticed.

The wall on which we stood earlier. Water marks show gradual lowering of water level. This lake seems to be the main source of water for Mudkavi residents. I suddenly realize half of our little friends have gone home. We say bye to the remaining gang and go towards Mudkavi bus-stand where we learn that we have not seen one bastion yet.

The flag bastion. One of the guides had returned along with few other kids new to us.

These two girls were curious about our interest in their fort. They shied away as soon as I aimed my camera at them. Avva, photo thegithaar ...were out of the scene in a flash only to be back again after a minute. When I aimed the camera for the second time, they vanished from our sight not to return as long as we were here.

We treated the kids to girmit and tea while Manju and I sipped tea. At the tea-shop a young man in early twenties said that lot of poets (Kavi) used to to live in this place hence the name Mudkavi. I nodded my head but did not believe that to me true. We said bye to our Mudkavi friends. One last look at Mudkavi fort walls before we head to Shabari Kolla.

Mudkavi Fort Co-ordinates: 15°58'15"N 75°22'54"E

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Shantinatha Basadi, Bandalike

2012-01-14T00:25:00.000-08:00

We arrive at another well maintained monument of this region. The care-taker cycles down the 300m stretch from Bhandalike temple complex and unlocks the gate for me.

Datable to the times of Rastarkuta Krishna (Kannaradeva) the temple received endowments by one Jakkiyabbe who was ruling Bandalike in A.D. 912. The epigraphs dated A.D. 12000 and 1203 record that the Basadi was rebuilt by a merchant named Boppa Setti.

The Santinatha Basadi in plan has a Garbhagriha, an Antarala, a four-pillared Mukhamandapa and a thrity two pillared Mukhamanadapa all in north-south orientation. The Mukhamanadapa in its southern wall has the Devakoshthas on either side of the Sukhanasi doorway which is also provided with perforated Jalandras. The sanctum is Pancharatha on plan and is bereft of Jaina images. However, a few mutilated sculptures are found inside. in elevation, the temple has an austere Adhishthana in the region of the pillared Mandapa. The Jagati is provided with Kakshasana.

Exterior is similar to Bankapur's Nagaresvaragudi.

What stands out in this statue is the jewelry. The crown is stylish. Notice the size of the ear rings. I wonder how clearly the details were when this was created.

One needs a strong neck to carry such weight attached to the head. An object placed the head feels very different from having it fixed to the head.

The 32-pillared Mukhamanadapa. Fluted pillars on the outside are similar to pillars of Bankapur's Nagaresvaraudi and haveri's Purasiddeshwara.

Few of the inside pillars have inscriptions and matrices, both rectangular and circular.

A close at one of the inscriptions.

The matrices- each cell has one letter. This is something I've not seen else where. What does this represent? A calendar? An astrological table?

The stones seem to be softer compared to the stones used in temples of Bankapur and Balligavi.

Nice color. I think some type of fungus is the reason for the color.

Such beautiful creation! And nature gives it a touch of its own.

Close ups of floral designs on the front portion of the temple.

Slender girls dancing and playing a drum.

I feel this image is flawed ...the girl's right leg does not have proper shape.

A plump man and a couple doing gymnastics.

I was happy to see the temple. If I had missed the care-taker, I would have missed seeing this beautiful little temple and its unique matrices.

While I was at the Basdi, Yellppa jacked up the car then realized the wheel spanner was missing. Since the tire was not really flat, we decided to drive on and have it mended on the way. No luck in any of the villages we passed through. Finally after a 30 minute drive to Siralkoppa, we found a tire shop just as we entered the town. Once the tire job was fixed, we found a Khanavali, if not for place's dungeon like appearance, food might have tasted better. Anyway, our hunger was taken care of. As we drove Yellappa and I spoke about the varieties of crops grown in this region- pineapple, ginger and paddy ...even as I spoke I was little worried that we might reach Chandragutti too late.

Bhandalike Jain Basti Coordinates: 14°29'4"N 75°15'56"E

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Bandalike Temple Complex

2012-01-07T00:19:00.000-08:00

Bandalike Temple Complex is a nice place to relax. Four temples are scattered over 10 acres of mounds and depressions. The complex is more or less like a garden with lot of tall trees providing ample shelter. And the place is well maintained. I start off with a bit of Bandalike's history.

Bandalike or Bandananike from the inscriptions was an important town of Nagarakhanda. It was a well known center of Jainism and Kalamukha sect. The importance of the place is well established by the lithic records of the Rastrakutas (Circa 7th-8th century A.D.), Kalyani Chalukyas (Circa 11th-12th century A.D.), Kalachuris, Hoysalas (Circa 12th century A.D.), Seunas (Circa 13th century A.D.) and Vijayanagar (Circa 15th-16th century A.D.). It was a prosperous center in the eleventh and twelfth centuries during the period of the Kalyani Chalukyas.

Of the four temples, I could get names of two temples- Trimurti Narayana Gudi and Somesvaragudi. Closest to the entrance is Trimurti Narayana Gudi.

Built in 1160, this is a Trikutachala (triple-celled) temple of the Kalyana Chalukyan period. The superstructure on the northern and southern shrines are intact and the western one has collapsed. Known for its elegance and symmetry, this temple in east-west orientation has Siva-linga in the western and southern cells, the northern cell has a sculpture of Vishnu. All the three cells have vestibules with ornamental doorways flanked by niches. The western cell has a well sculptured Simhalata at its Antarala doorway. The elevation of the temple is austere. The wall is relieved by niches surmounted by turret and slender pilasters. The superstructures over Garbhagrihas are typical Tritala Vesara Sikhara featured with a square Stupi.

The temple's inside is used like a store- pipes and other garden equipment. Swalpa adjust madkobeko. Inside it was little dark, especially after stepping out of bright light.

Interior is not really spacious but the art work is lovely.

Should be Mahishamardini.

Close to the temple is this collection of hero-stones.

A battle scene showing various weapons- sword, spears, bow & arrow and shields. Interesting part of this picture is the series of merlons of a fort wall in the bottom right corner.

Basavanna in front of the temple. The temple in the background is where I go next.

This strcuture looks like a peeled orange. Plan to create a Trikutachala was abandoned long before the outer layer of decorative layer of sculpted slabs were put in place.

With this incomplete temple, we get to know a how temple was constructed in that period. Inside the temple it was cool and I was tempted to lied down ...thoughts of missing Chandragutti Fort kept me moving.

Incomplete yet has a beauty of its own.

Compared to the previous temple, this one is a skeleton.

This looks like the structure was restored recently.

Looks primitive.

Two minute walk, I'm at Somesvara Temple.

Also known as Anekalsomeyya and Boppesvara temple, this was constructed by Boppa Setti in A.D. 1274. Thus is an austere temple with a Garbhagriha, Antarala, and a pillared Mandapa with a porch in east-west orientation. The entrance doorway is ornate with as many as four door jambs which at the base has well sculpured Dwarapalas and Apsara figures. The jambs are ornate variety with creeper decorations. The lintel at the center has a Gajalakshmi. On either side of the door are artistically sculptured, perforated screens which alternating with narrative friezes depicting episodes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The sanctum is bereft of any images. Inside the Mahamandapa are six niches, two flanking the Antarala and three each in the northern and southern walls of the Mandapa, the central one being larger.

Another restored temple, seems like most of its original features are lost. Front wall of this temple is decorated with sculptures of scene from Ramayana and Mahabharata.

To the left side of the temple's door: starting from the bottom, Rama and Sita's wedding. Not sure about the next panel, the female character with long hair must be Soorpanaki. Ravana having abducted Sita has come back to his palace.

A closer looks at Ravana and Soorpanaki. I do not remember significance of boar and donkey in Ramayana.

To the right i Mahabharata, starting with the scene of Pandavs and Kauravas engaged in game of dice. Rest of the panels are mostly battle scene- archers, elephants, chariots and horses.

Somesvara temple has its own collection of hero-stones with inscription. These hero-stones are of similar design.

A window mesh sculpture. Hero stone: I had mistaken this for a dance. During a recent visit to Ancient Indian History and Epigraphy Department, Karnataka University, Dharwad I happened to see similar images amongst the collection of hero-stones in the department's museum. My colleague, past student of this department who was accompanying me told me about the images- Apsaras carrying away the person to heaven.

Women adorned in shorts and cloth tied around their waist. Only jewelry seen here are bead necklaces. I wonder what the curved pillar is up to; is it trying to protect the seated man from the two characters with swords? The seated man was killed in the attack and is being carried off by Apsaras to heaven.

A close look at a part of one of the inscriptions.

Basavanna, folds of skin on its chest created beautifully.

Each of these temples have something different; design of hero-stones, characters depicted, attires of that time, animals, weapons ...it goes on. Every stone tells do much about society and culture of those times. We have so much to see...

At the entrance I met the care-taker. I mentioned that Shantinata Basdi gate was locked, which we had passed by earlier. It turned out he's the care-taker for the Basdi also. He offered to come and open the gate. Back at the cab, I noticed rear right tire pressure was less than normal and pointed it out to Yellappa. I asked Yellapa to take care of the tire while I see the Basadi which is about 300m from this temple complex.

Bandalike Temple Complex Coordinates: 14°29'12"N 75°16'2"E

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Pranavesvara Temple and Inscribed Pillar, Talagunda

2012-01-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

October 8, 2011.

Sixth place of day, a day of 10+ temples and one vanishing fort. Sun was high up in the sky and weather was pretty warm. Pranavesvaragudi is right next to the road, in a shallow depression. The temple is well maintained, thanks to the fence enclosing these invaluable monuments. Two boards give out useful information about the temple and the eye-catching inscribed pillar.

Pranavesvara Temple, Talagunda

Sporadic exploration around Talagunda has brought to light early historic vestiges in the form of brick structures. An inscription in Prakit of the Satavahana period was found at Malvalli, 7km north-east of Talagunda, proves the place was under the occupation of Satavahanas right from thr first-second century A.D. Later it is referred to as Sthana Kundra in Kadamba inscriptions. It was the home town of the Kadambas of Vaijayanti (Banvasi) who won over the Chutus and established the first indigenous Kannada kingdom in around the first quarter of the fourth century A.D. with their capital at Banvasi.

The Pranavesvara temple is a small austere square building with a Garbhagriha and a Sukanasi. The Garbhagriha houses a large Siva-linga on a Bhadra Pitha. The epigraphical record reflects that the Sivalinga in the Garbhagriha was worshipped from the time of Satakamni (Satakarni) rulers and the shrine itself appears to have been constructed around fourth century A.D. A Sanskrit inscription in box-headed characters with an invocation to God Pasupati engraved on the right door-jamb of the Pranavesvara temple, which registers a grant of money for feeding thirty residents of Sthanakunjapura by Kakustha of the Bhataru family who was feudatory of the Kadamba king.

Slab with Halegannada inscription next to the temple.

Gajalakshmi on the doorjamb.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Kedaresvara temple care-taker had mentioned that Talagunda Shivalinga is big, about 8 feet tall.

Lotus in the ceiling.

The Inscribed Pillar is about 40 feet from the temple's front door.

The holy primeval god Bhava, found here, is said to have been worshiped by the Satakamnis as per the inscription. Talagunda was an ancient Agrahara town called Sthana-Kundra in inscriptions, the original home of the Kadambas of Banavasi, the earliest indegenous kingdom in Karnataka.

Datable to fifth century A.D. on box-headed Kadamba characters, the inscribed stone pillar in front of the Pranavesvara Temple records that a tank was got excavated by king Kakusthavarman (A.D. 405-430) for the use of the temple. But virtually this is a historical document giving an amount of the origin of the Kadambas.Their pedigree down to Santivarman, son of Kakustha is recorded. The inscription, in chaste Sanskrit of the Kavya style, was composed by poet Kubja. It also relates the achievements of his successors. This is one of the most important inscriptions of Karnataka shedding light on several aspects of Karnataka history and culture.

With this pillar inscription, I've seen inscriptions in four languages- Halegannada, Telugu, Devanagiri and Prakit.

As we left, a family of four were entering the temple enclosure. We head towards Bhandalike to see more temples.

Talagunda Pranavesvara Temple Coordinates: 14°25'21"N 75°15'11"E

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Veerabadresvara, Somesvara & Bherundeshvara Temples, Belligavi

2011-12-31T00:03:00.000-08:00

Veerabadresvaragudi, Someshvaragudi and Bherundeshvaragudi (Gandaberunda Stambha) are on one street within Balligavi. After Tripurantakesvaragudi, we head towards Somesvaragudi. The deities are ancient but the building is a modern cement & steel structure. Images of Shiva's family members; Shiva & Parvati and Ganesha.

Karthikeya and Basavanna.

Pachchelingu.

Somesvara Temple

This temple, on stylistic grounds, is assignable to the late Hoysala period (13th century A.D.). It has, on plan, a Garbhagriha, An Antarala and a pillared Mandapa. The doorways of the Garbhagriha and Sukanasi are exquisitely carved. Garbhagriha houses a Sivalinga on a Bhadrapitha. The Mandapa is provided with two niches on its west wall the entrance door, is simple and ornate. It has on either side pierced windows and is provided with elephant balustraded steps. The wall is built in plain dressed slabs, which is relieved by a Madhya Bandha of lozenge floral decorations. The pillars are lathe-turned and polished.

The temple door was locked and I did not bother to inquire for the care-taker or the keys. Going by the description, the might have had interesting sculptures. We move on to the last temple on this street.

Bherundeshvara Temple

Known as Bherundeshvara Temple, this is a tall, 9.15m high Vayu Stambha. The shrine, raised over a two-tiered masonry platform of 3.05m height was installed by Chamundarayarasa, a general of the Chalukyan emporer. The square base has a sculpture of a two-headed mythical bird with human body, known as andabherunda. Standing in Alidha posture, the bird-headed humanoid figure is two armed,swallowing humans in their large, teethed beaks turned in opposite directions. While the upraised right hand is shown stuffing the human figure into the mouth, the left hand is shown lifting another human figure into its already stuffed mouth. Wide open eyes reflect anger, the image is moderately decorated with various jewellery from shoulder to feet, the bird is decorated with feathers at neck and head. The Pitambara is held by a Katibandha and an Katibandha and an Uttariya. The folds of Uttariya on either sides are artistically sculpted. the rest of the circular shaft is held by a median bands dividing it into registers. An Amalaka cushion capital accommodates an octagonal or multifaceted Phalaka.

We are at the village outskirts, a lake is visible. We stop to check out few monuments close to Balligavikere. Shivalingu in a Mantapa and Basavaana in its place.

Damages idols are considered not fit to be worshiped.

We drive on Balligavi-Chikkeroor road towards our next destinations- Talagunda and Bandalike.

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Stories in stone, Tripurantakesvara Temple

2011-12-27T00:15:00.000-08:00

...continued from the previous post - Tripurantakesvara Temple, Balligavi.

Scene of a baby being adopted into a royal family. To the extreme right is a couple, woman lamenting separation from her child. To the left, in the mantapa a couple holds the adopted child and merry-making around them.

Rama aims an arrow at Vali's back. Vali engaged in a fight with his brother Sugreeva.

Rama shoots an arrow through seven Saal trees to prove his power to Sugreeva. As per legend the arrow after passing through seven trees hits a boulder and shatters it to pieces.

A child, men and women dancing. Since each of these characters have a pair of stick, the dance must be Kolaata ~ Dandiya.

Man watching a deer leaping over a baby deer in a garden or a forest. The sculptor has created two different trees.

Character on the left must be a hunter. Is that a python? Man playing flute is trying to wake up the man lying down? Elephant has bowed down to let the man climb on to it's back?

Pachatantra scene: Crow dropping pebbles into a pitcher to raise water level. The animal to the right must be a fox.

Story of a tortoise and two geese. A tortoise and two geese living in a lake are good friends. One bad summer the lake starts drying up. Feeling pity for the future suffering of the tortoise, the geese plan to fly off with her. The geese would hold a stick in their beaks while the tortoise would grasp it in his mouth, but she must be careful not to talk. On hearing the comments of people in the city they are passing over, the tortoise opens its mouth to tell them to mind their own business. The tortoise falls to her death and eaten up by dogs.

Panchatantra story of a monkey and a crocodile.

Rams trying to woo an ewe. From this panel the theme shift from Panchatantra to Mithunashilpa ~ erotic images. A couple engaged in unconventional sex.

Men, women and monkeys in a sex orgy. Few images in this temple display zoophilia- humans engaged in sex with animals.

Couple making love on a bed, even the pillows are so well sculpted. Second couple from the right, man using a mirror. Normally mirrors are seen women's hands here its different. The couple to the extreme right are all hugs and kisses.

Couple making love on a diwan. Sculptors wanted to make the images as realistic as possible, attention was paid to furniture and upholstery too.

The sixty-nine position.

Woman and horse engaged in zoophilia.

More couples, nude except for necklaces.

Couple engaged in circusex.

Of all positions, this one depicts love between the partners. I feel other positions and unconventional sex practices are more about lust than love. I consider this image as the most beautiful one amongst all the images in this post.

I'm not sure if any of the modern day temples have Mithunashilpa. Temples of those days being the centers of society were sources of information of every aspect of life. Images of Panchatantra stories convey morals. Scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata inspire young minds to tread the path of righteousness. However I cannot understand why images of zoophilia were created. Is there a meaning hidden some where?

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Tripurantakesvara Temple, Balligavi

2011-12-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

October 10, 2011

Thanks to care-taker at Kedaresvaragudi for suggesting me to visit less visited temples of Balligavi plus Talagunda and Bandalike. I made note of the temples' names-
Tripurantakesvaragudi
Veerabadresvaragudi
Somesvaragudi
Berundesvaragudi

All these temples are less than a kilometer from Kedaresvaragudi. Balligavi village is a clean and tidy little village. At Tripurantakesvaragudi, a small board gives out basic information about the temple.

This Hoysala temple is dated 1070 A.D. and it has two parallel shrines facing east, built over an indented platform. The shrine to the north has sanctums at west and north with respective vestibules and open into a large hall. The hall of this shrine has a central square podium with massive square based circular pillars. An exquisitely carved huge couchant bull is installed towards the extreme end of this Mandapa. The porch of the shrine is lost. The eastern and western walls of the large hall have Devakoshtas.

The southern shrine also has a sanctum, an open vestibule, a open pillared large hall with provision of sitting platform and backrest. This hall has two entrances to the east and south with a projected porch. The hall has artistic lathe-turned pillars, which once had bracket sculptures. the elaborately sculptured doorway jambs are adorned with creeper scrolls, dancers and intertwined Nagas. The lintel is adorned with an ornate Gajalakshmi. The door-jamb of the main shrine has Rati and Manmatha on one side and Daksha Bramha with consort on the other. The lintel of the doorway has an excellent sculpture of Siva as Gajasuramardana flanked by Bramha, Ganesa, Vishnu, Mahishamardini and other deities.

The south-eastern corner.

Temples front portion. The care-taker of this temple was supervising a worker mowing the lawn. As you see the temple is taken care of nicely.

In this temple you get to see some unique works of arts.

I was amazed at this sculpturing; lion pinning down two elephants with its fore legs. The lion's features are well defined, even its claws are clearly visible. The creeper scroll curves smoothly into a circle. The eight-petals flower is a beauty.

Rectangular beams balanced on artistically sculpted columns.

The main entrance of the temple, slabs from the porch are missing. Visitors step into the Natyamantapa as they enter the temple. Sukhanasi at a comfortable height along the outer wall.

Three types of columns can be seen here; lathe turned with square bases, fluted with square base and ridged.

One of the four corners of the raised dance platform is visible.

Another attention grabbing feature of this temple is the mesh window at the end of this aisle.

Relatively well preserved window considering the overall condition of this temple. Enclosed in creeper scrolls are female and male forms in various dance positions. Behind this mesh window is a hall where the legendary queen Shantala met king Vishnuvardhana. Unfortunately, doors to the hall were locked and the caretaker did not have the keys.

Between the mesh window and the door stands a character decked in all kinds of jewelry from head to toes accompanied by a five headed serpent near his right foot. Each of his toes have a ring around them. If his arms were intact, probably we could have seen a ring on every finger. A similar character minus the snake stands guard at the other side of the door.

Looks so real, as though the serpent might start slithering around any time. Fabulous piece of work!

Board games of recent times.

These three windows look like an experiment in innovative designs. The designer has tried both symmetric and asymmetric patterns.

Like I said early, this temple has some unique sculptures I'd not else where. The ceiling had few interesting images, for some reason I did not shoot them. The exterior of the temple features a series of panels with stories from Ramayana, Panchatantra and Mithunasastra. Do make it a point to visit this temple when you are in Balligavi. The temple has a nice garden with one of the corners shaded by huge trees, makes an ideal spot for a rest. If the caretaker permits, this can be an ideal spot to settle down for a home-packed lunch.

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Artifacts at Balligavi Museem

2011-12-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

A row of hero-stones with Halegannada inscriptions.

A warrior.

Two women in long skits and sunflower like headgear attending to a man seated on a raised platform. The man seems to be levitating.

Top portion of a hero-stone; Shivalinga surrounded by Sun, Moon, a holyman and Basvanna.

A battle scene; warrior on horse-back and a injured/slain warrior lying on ground. The birdle on the horse's head caught my attention.

Another battle field scene. A warrior brandishing a sword & shield engaged in fight with another warrior on horse back with a spear. A third warrior ether injured or slain lies on the ground.

More battle scenes. One of them shows cattle, currency of those days.

A pair of entwined serpents with seven heads each.

A hero-stone with a different design. The top portion is decorated with a shikhara, couple of mystical creatures and floral decoration. This five-paneled hero-stone has as many stories in it. First panel depicts worship at a temple. Notice how smartly the sculptor has utilized space by adding an extra character below the bottom left corner of the top-most panel. Second panel could be a pre-wedding procession. Third panel is the wedding scene, the couple seated in a mantapa. Fourth panel could be post-wedding procession. The fifth panel shows women throwing in offerings to holy fire.

A similar image can be found on the Kedaresvara temple. Both man and lion have well defined features, especially the eyes.

Must be Lord Mahaveera.

An assortment of sculptures along the front wall of the museum.

Seems like a holy couple. The man has broad shoulders and strong arms. The woman's breasts are prominent and arms look strong. Her hair is tied in a bun to a side using a string of beads or pearls. The skirt looks fashionable ...or is it a saree worn in a different style. Both wear jewelry around their necks, on their arms ans legs. I wonder what the lady is holding between the thumb and index finger.

Seems like a hero-stone dedicated to a prince. The top panel shows Shivalinga being worshiped by a sage with long hair. A man enjoying female company. A battle scene.

This is something very different. A platform balanced atop a pillar with three characters who seem to be dancing on it. On the ground is a man who seems to be pierced by seven spears or arrows.

Couple of entwined serpents, one with seven heads and the other with all its five heads missing.

Story of a warrior. Two female companions attending to the warrior. Characters in this hero-stone sports a unique hair style. The battle scene is interesting; warrior on horse back feuding with foot soldiers. The warrior has worn a dagger around his waist. One of the soldiers has a bent sword and trapezoidal shield. The soldier bent backwards seems to have a slash across his abdomen and along his right thigh.

Similar to the previous one, this hero-stone depicts a story of probably another warrior. Notice the change in hair styles- long hair tied into a bun on top of the heads. Here the hero is fighting on foot brandishing a bent sword and trapezoidal shield. An archer with bow & arrow is also seen.

Lady with long pointed fingers, wearing a saree like a skirt with three pleats and simple jewelry around her neck and arms. Her head seems to be decorated with sunflower ...or it could be a lotus in full bloom.

There were many more artifacts at the museum, I shot the ones which were unique. I might have missed out a few good ones. My regards to the sculptors to created these wonderful objects of art which tell stories and lets us have a glimpse of life back those days.

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Kedaresvara Temple, Belligavi

2011-12-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

Kedaresvara Temple of Belligavi is a beautiful, well preserved except for some acts of vandalism and currently well maintained temple of Haveri district. The temple is located on the outskirts of Belligavi village close to Padmasarovara Tavarekere lake.

A board provides basic information about this temple-

Balligave, also known as Belagami, Balligame, Balligrama and Balipura. Belligavi was an important centre of learning and contained five religious centers besides seven Bramhapuris connected with temples. It is also known as Dakshina Kedra due to its religious and cultural importance. It was a prosperous center during the period of Chalukyas of Kalyan (11-12th century).

Built in twelfth century, the temple of Kedaresvara, in east-west orientation is a Trikutachala or triple-celled temple of the Hoysala style. The western cell has vestibule or Sukasani and the northern and southern cells have an Ardhamandapa, all opening into a six-pillared Mahamandapa which at east opens into a spacious pillared Sabhamandapa with entrances on north, south and east. Interiorly the Mahamandapa walls are pierced with Devakoshtas while the western and southern cells have Siva-lingas, the northern cell enshrines an image of Vishnu. The exterior is austere save the indented features of Panchatantra design. The three towers of Tritala vesara class are treated with the wall details repeated at each tala and are similar in form to each other. The ornate Sabhamandapa is the key feature of this temple, which has 16-sided fluted polished pillars some of which are treated with leaf decoration. The temple in its heyday attracted a fair number of the Kalamukha sect followers. In the same complex is a replica of the Kedaresvara Temple to its north-western side, which is also a Trikita (three-celled) structure.

The temple care-taker told that Kedaresvara Temple was built by five sculptors- Namoja, Bamoja, Siddoja, Mallikamba and Malloja.

In this picture western and southern Shikharas are visible clearly while the northern Shikhara is partly visible.

This is the western shikhara. The lion at the top is prominent. The geometric design on the platform below the lion is unique.

Interesting floral designs with idols of Gods and women in Bharatanatya positions. Elephants in various positions at regular intervals occupy the highest level of the lower half of the temple.

Jaalandra (artistic mesh wall) and stepped door frame decorate the western Garbhagudi wall.

Om Namha Shivaya

Bramhalinga in Southern Garbhagudi.

Vishnu in Northern Garbhagudi.

Couple of Nagadevatas with Halegannada inscription.

The ceiling features a matrix of lotuses in various stages; bud, flower and seed. The temple care-taker mentioned a term for this matrix, I missed noting it.

Belligavi Basavanna is one of the large Basavannas (Nandi) of Karnataka.

With hardly any place around Basavanna, its difficult to take pictures. Same with two other indoor Basavannas- Madhukesvara temple in Banavasi and Bull Temple in Bengaluru.

Ornamental sculpturing on Basavanna's back. Bells and trinkets adorn the jewelry. The details are amazing.

The exterior walls of Kedaresvara temple, actually the back-side of the Sukhanasi features 196 Bharatanatya Bhangis depicting various positions. Talking about Indian classical dnace, Belligavi is birth place of a Hoysala Queen- Natyarani Shantala. Shantala ends her life by jumping off a sheer cliff at Shivagange. Allamaprabhu the mystic-saint & Vachana poet of 12th century was also born in Balligavi.

Right next to Kedaresvaragudi is it's replica but without Shikharas. This temple is known as Nagaresvaragudi.

Temple rear side.

Gajalakshmi on Garbhagudi door-frame.

One of the three deities.

This smaller, open-top structure (on the left) was supposed to have been used as a kitchen for preparing food for temple's devotees. The elevated platform on the right was used as a stage for dancing.

Part of the kitchen. The hall surrounding this Garbhagudi like structure is spacious enough to seat 30 to 40 people.

Jai Hanuman!

The temple has a museum, artifacts from Balligavi and other surrounding places are stored here. However the indoor museum is not yet open to public. The outdoor collection is interesting and has few unique images on hero-stones.

Belligavi Kedaresvara Temple Coordinates: 14°23'38"N 75°14'38"E

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Shri Mallayyaswamy Gudi, Togarsi

2011-12-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

August 10, 2011

A colleague had told me about Togarsi. I was passing through this pilgrimage village and decided to visit the temple situated on a hillock. The temple is ancient, probably 800 to 1000 years old. The tiled structure is recent addition, it serves as a mini hall for religious functions. Morning pooja was in progress, I could see the deity while poojaris did Aarati. As a part of the pooja, visitors present were allowed to do Aarati to the diety.

Kalyani, temple and the Gopura.

Togarsi Mallayyaswamy temple is managed by two Mathas; Malehiremath and Panchavanigematha. Normally temples are managed by one matha but Togarsi temple is managed by two mathas.

This is Malehirematha

...and Panchavanigematha. The two white elephants guarding the door could be of stone plastered with a thick coat of lime.

I'm not sure if this Gopura was newly constructed or an existing one was renovated. Construction activities were still going on.

The person in white shirt is a poojari in the temple. Houses of temple staff flank the path leading up the hill. The temple is just halfway up the hill. Beyond the temple is jungle. An early morning morning walk in the jungle could be an interesting experience ...fresh cool air, a soft sun,light, sounds of birds singing, peacocks calling some far away.

The temple street is a straight line flanked by tiled roof houses with teak wood columns. I wish I had seen Togarsi 10 years back, it would be like seeing a part of Dharmastala. In this age of mobile phones, glaring boards mars the peaceful ambiance of this village.

Togarsi Coordinates: 14°27'7"N 75°12'15"E

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Temples of Kotipura

2011-12-03T00:08:00.000-08:00

August 10, 2011

Sri Madhu Kaitabha Temple of Kotipura is one of the most beautiful temples of Shimoga district. The temple is also known as Kaitabesvaragudi. It is the largest of seven temples here. A board gave out useful information about these temples.

Kubatur was ruled by the Kadambas (3-6th centuries AD), Chalukyas of Badami (6th century) Rastrakutas (7-8th centuries), Chalukya's of Kalyan (11-12th centuries), Hoysalas of Dorasamudra (11-13th centuries), Nayakas of Keladi (15-16th centuries) and was part of Banavasi-12000 province under the governance of Hoysala Vinayaditya.

The Kaitabhesvara Temple of Kubatur is one of the early temples of the Hoysala period of Vinayaditya datable to AD 1100 and is known as Kotishvara in inscriptions. Stylistically, it closely resembles the Chalukyan temples in plan, pillar order and Sikhara. The temple is east-west orientation, on plan has a Garbhagriha, a vestibule and an indented square Sikhara and Sukasana. The sculptures of Mahishamardini, Bhairava and Ganesa adorn the superstructure. There are five entrances to the Mukhamantapa. Lateral entrances are provided in addition to the conventional northern, southern and eastern entrances. The pillars of the Mandapa are circular, lathe turned and polished abd those places over the Jagati are fluted and shorter. The ceilings are ornate and the parapet placed over the heavy typical Hoysal eave has the structural representations of Ugra Narasimha, Varaha, Garuda, Kesava, etc. The Sukanasi and Garbhagriha doorways are of typical Hoysala ornate variety with Gajalakshmi at the lintel. A rare inscription in this temple refers to major temple forms of India mastered by a talented architect.

As you see the temple complex is well maintained. I was here by 8AM and happened to meet a group of boys who had come to see the temple. Since there was no guide I asked these boys to show me around.

The temple is similar to Nagaresvaragudi of Bankapur and Tarakesvaragudi of Hangal.

The Shikhara. This temple is Ekakuta meaning a temple with one Garbhagudi. One of the boys pointed out an iron ring at the top, it is visible if you enlarge the image. Another one of the iron object can be seen on the opposite side. The boys mentioned did mention how those objects happen to be there ...should have written it down.

Another view of the Shikhara.

The interior has a matrix of beautifully sculpted and polished pillars. This space is usually called as Navaranga Mantapa or Sabha Mantapa, a place for people to gather and discuss social matters.

Another view of the Navaranga Mantapa. The temple features Sukanasi around this hall. Sukanasi is a raised platform for people to be sit on.

How well the pillar is made! I'm trying to imagine to what extent engineers and builders of those days were dedicated to their profession. Did they possess some kind of Divine power?

An intricately sculpted part of the ceiling.

Halegannada inscriptions on the Sukanasi. This is not the only one, the temple had inscriptions on seven or eight places, few on Sukanasi and few on flat portions of the pillars. One of boys spotted a peacock drawing inscribed on one of the pillars. Kids are good company :) their enthusiasm is contagious.

A close look at a few words. No scope for making typos. No chance for typos- back then there was no backspace.

Ancient version of board games. You can see two of them here. The one in the background is Chakka-Bara, a game played to this day.

A little Basavanna at the temple entrance.

The temple complex has a small collection of hero-stones and few sculptures. A royal couple standing below Sun, Moon, Vishnu Shankha and Chakra.

Another hero-stone depicting a battle scene. The damaged top features crescent moon, a man performing pooja to Shivalinga and a Basavanna.

A little temple in a pit without a deity.

The front portion is decorated with finely sculpted art. This little temple reminds me of Billeswara temple of Hangal.

Men riding imaginative creatures; body of a horse and heads of various animals and birds.

A little temple dedicated to Shivalinga.

Temple dedicated to snake gods.

My friends- Naveen, Maltesh, Vinayaka and Mahesh. If I'm not mistaken this temple is dedicated to goddess Chenglavva.

Two more temples of which one is used like a store room.

I learn that my four friends were from Anavatti, about a kilometer from this temple. I asked them if they have seen Anavatti fort. The answer was yes but nothing is left of it. A two minute drive, we were at the spot.

Houses and shops can be seen where Anavatti fort walls stood.

Couple of teenage boys living in one of the houses gave strange looks and one of them even called another boy- "aaoji yeha." ...as if their houses were about to be demolished. This is what remains of Anavatti fort, just like many other forts of Karnataka.

My friends said bye. I promised to send their pictures. Our next destination was Belligavi about 25km from here. We decided to have breakfast and proceed.

Kotipura temple complex Coordinates: 14°34'32"N 75°8'50"E

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Chandragutti Fort

2011-11-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

October 8, 2011

Chandragutti was a last minute addition to my itinerary for the day. I started with a stop at Hangal to locate Kichakana Garadimani and gave up the search after hearing that it did not exist anymore. Next was Kotipura. Then a look at the sad remains of Anavatti fort. Next was a short stop at Togarsi Mallayya temple. At Belligavi, our stop at was longer than planned. A guide at Kedaresvara temple told me to visit the lesser known temples of Belligavi and also temples of Talagunda and Bandalike, which we did visit. Lunch at Siralkoppa. We passed through Soraba. Chandragutti hill was visible with some 5km still go. Yellappa asked me if I really wanted to climb that hill. Of course! Finally we reached Chandragutti at 4-15.

My inquiries for a guide went in vain and I was told that it was too late to start climbing. I was in no mind to turn back, guide or no guide I'm going. I offloaded few things from my backpack but made sure the flash light was with me. I took off. I paused for a minute to read a board-

Fortress and Renukadevi Temple, Chandragutti

Chandragutti, (Chandraguptapura of ancient times) was a stronghold of the Kadambas of Banavasi (3-6th centuries A.D.). In an inscription dated 1396 A.D. of the reign of Vijayanagara King Harihara II (A.D. 1377-1404), Bachanna, a local chieftain claims to have ruled over Chandragutti later the area was under Keladi Nayakas.

Renukadevi temple situated on the summit of an elevated spot and is a large natural cave approached by a flight of steps enshrining a small masked Siva-Linga. The place has been associated with saint Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. The colossal hip like boulders in the cave are identified as Renuka in hiding when Parashurama pursued her. The outer facade of the cave forms the vestibule, which is in the Chalukyan style. A pillared hall was added during the Vijayanagara period. Almost at the foot of the Renukamba temple facing west is a temple of Bhairava.

A five minute climb up a steep flight of steps, I was below the looming rock formations of Renuka temple. Path to the fort start just behind the temple. I overheard an elderly lady deny permission to two young women who wanted to see the fort :( two disappointed ladies.

Welcome to the jungle. After a 10 minute I was at the first gateway, not much of the walls remain. Kotkere (Fort Lake) has created an opening in the jungle. This would have been the major source of water back then. The path rose constantly and the jungle got thicker. I could hear thunder in the distance. Somehow I wasn't bothered about rain. I walked at a constant pace, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down my face. I would pause for few seconds to take pictures and a quick rest ...I was never so determined. Second gateway, I felt great to see these walls standing on these hills, amidst a thick jungle, bearing the brunt of nature's forces.

This structure looks well designed to block enemy advances. A shelter for sentries and an overshooting platform for soldiers to shoot arrows or fire guns provide clear view to the guards.

The gateway is pretty complex with two passages; one wide enough to let a horse through and another just wide enough for a man. Platforms and chambers flanking the passage would have served as security offices.

This could be ruins of small house, perhaps made for high ranking military officers. Plant life have taken over many portions of this formidable fort.

Few minutes from the second gateway, I ran into a herd of cows blocking the narrow path. But I was comfortable walking through them, not one tried to get defensive :) Few steps ahead I saw the cowherd, his name was Laxman. I asked him how much more to go. He said another one hour's climb. I told him I came here in 15 minutes. In that case you'll need another half an hour. I went ahead, increasing my pace slightly.

I realized my sandals were hindering my pace. I left them in the middle of the path just before this gateway.

It was much better climbing bare feet. The path got narrower and little dark because of low hanging branches. The final turn...

That's the summit and the innermost fort, it was exactly 5PM. I made it here in 45 minutes! I decided to hang around for 30 minutes, I need to get back to the temple before it gets dark.

The fort has five ponds to store water or liquids. A dead cow lies in the center of this pond.

This one supposed to be Yenne Bavi, meaning oil well. Perhaps back then this was used to store oil. In the background is a small structure built of stone.

I walked slowly enjoying the fresh cool breeze blowing in from the west.

This structure is supposed to be 'Maddina Patana' meaning 'ammunition store'. So the fort did have fire power. The structure looks solid, well preserved.

This ficus looks 5 to 8 years old, its my guess. Case of natural Bonsai. Plant life proves time and again that they are the bosses.

Fresh water pond behind Maddina Patana.

The pond is known as Kote Bavi meaning 'fort well'. Water was really clean. I curbed my temptation to dip my feet and wash my face ...side walls are too steep. One wrong step or a slip, I could land in the pond.

An elephant inscribed close to Kote Bavi.

A triangle with a cross. Any guesses what this depicts?

Looking south from Kote Kere. Remains of the wall. Jungle and paddy fields below. I wonder how this looked during the days of Shivappa Nayaka.

To the north is Durgi Dibba, the highest point of this fort. I could not go up there :( since I had to explore the western side, where walls are built on steep rock faces.

Beyond the hulking boulder with an X on it is a steep slope vanishing into the jungle below.

The formidable Chandragutti fort.

Google Maps screen grab of Chandragutti.

A - fort entrance
B - Durgi Dibba
C - Yenne Baavi
D - Maddina Patana and Kote Kere
E - Western most tip

I've not seen a wall like this one anywhere else. Built on a slope right down to the edge. I simply cannot imagine how the masons handled heavy stones right next to the edge.

Somehow I did not muster the courage to walk on this wall. One loose stone could cause an avalanche of stones and the rest is scary to imagine. Wind was pretty strong here, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I wish to come back here and spend a full moon night here.

Other side of the wall. One thought; people of those days must be bold and strong enough to climb a hill like this one and that's the reason for building walls to defend this hill.

A light mist hangs on these hills. After sunset mist would be thicker. Down below in the jungle is a couple is bastions flanking a gateway I had passed through.

Time to leave, I have to walk back the path through this jungle.

A gateway and its approach ramp.

A tank for storing water with an outlet at the far corner. Notice a stone sticking out from the wall? A large stone bowl for horses to drink water.

Walk downhill was effortless. A small stretch of the path was slightly wet with rain drops. I saw the setting sun though the leaves and branches. Jumping monkeys on tree tops shook dry leaves which floated down gracefully. I considered it as blessings being showered down. The sight of this tree told me that Melina Kote Kere, the lake close to the first gateway was close by.

There it is, reminds of Kavdikere near Yellapur. I was happy, a nice way to end a day :)

Back at the temple, I washed my feet and face with water I carried up and down the hill. I got Devi's darshan while the end of the day pooja was in progress. Other staff were preparing to close the temple for the day. It was around 6:45 and almost dark.

I did not take the steps, instead walked down another path not as steep as the flight of steps I climbed up earlier. I met Yellappa and told him I made it! I was hungry, let's get something to eat. At a bajji/chaha shop, an elderly person did not believe me I had reached the fort. I suddenly had thoughts- did I missed out something? I asked him to see pictures in my camera and tell if I'd seen the fort for real. I showed him (plus few other people) Maddina Patana, Yenne Bavi and the pond with a dead cow. He nodded his yes and said you really did see the fort! What a place! What a day!

I called my agriculture professor cousin Roopa Patil at Sirsi. Told her I should be at her place by 8PM. We took Chandragutti - Harishi - Sirsi road. At Roopa's place I had a nice cool bath, a change of clothes and tasty food prepared by her cook. We bid Roopa bye by 9:15, took Tadas route and reached Dharwad by 11:30. I was tired but not sleepy.

Few videos shot at Chandragutti Fort.

Chandragutti Fort Co-ordinates: 14°26'18"N 74°56'49"E

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Purasiddeshwara Temple, Haveri

2011-11-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

May 27, 2011

An interesting 11th century Western Chalukyan temple. The temple is well cared for, it surrounded by a nice garden. This garden seems to be a favorite place for spending summer evenings.

The temple features two types of columns. The ones in the center are turned & polished. the ones standing on the seating platform have ridges and octagonal bases.

Nagareshwara temple of Bankapur features columns with ridges.

Om Namah Shivaya

A well preserved idol of Lord Ganesha.

The exterior is quite similar to that of Nagareshwara temple.

A pot which collects holy water from Garbhagudi? I've not seen anything like this before.

The stepped Shikhara.

Each of the step has a slab shaped like a frame. The inside of the frame is blank and rough. Perhaps some delicate images of gods were to be fit in there.

Who could be that bearded and turbaned character?

Even though straight lines dominate this piece of work it would not be an easy one. The symmetry and precise spacing of columns would require an experienced hand. Surely specialized tools would have been employed in this job.

Amazing curved edges and curved surfaces.

A female character sitting cross-legged atop a shikhara.

Two female drummers.

This sculpture is something different. Color of the stone is also different.

A male god with 4 arms. The right hand are wielding a sword and a staff. One left arm is missing and one is partially damaged. The partially damaged hand hold a staff with a skull stuck on the end. Very interesting!

Some more noticeable works.

Curvy women in transparent short sarees, decked with jewelry and standing artistically.

This woman is holding a fan. Perhaps she's a royal attendant.

With a mirror in her hand surely she's admiring her beauty. Wish i could climb up ans see if the sculptors have polished the mirror.

This must be a work assigned to an apprentice or an amateur sculptor.

The only video I shot here-

Purasiddeshwara Temple Coordinates: 14°47'26"N 75°24'37"E

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Harihareshwara Temple, Harihar

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

May 27, 2011

I heard about this 13th century Hoysala temple from one of my colleagues who's surname is Harihar. I've visited Harihar several times during my school days. Dad would let me accompany him during his visit to Harihar Polyfibers. Once we spent time on the river bank very close to the British era road bridge. I remember seeing some Bramhin boys from Raghavendra Swami Mutta smoking under the bridge. They had come here to read books, perhaps they wanted a break from their routine.

I reached the temple around 3PM. It was a hot day at the peak of summer. Floor stones were terribly hot, I quickly went inside the temple.

Heavy columns dominate the interior. Each of them turned and polished to mirror finish.

An array of geometric patterns covered by a layer of soot. Looks like the grey layer is a contribution of homas performed here.

The decorated Garbhagudi face. A fish-eye lens would fetch better pictures of temple interiors, time I get one.

Halegannda inscription close to Garbhagudi entrance.

As you see the interior is quite plain. Few decorative sculptures adorn the ceiling. One of the priests relaxing on the stone seats showed me 'three fish with one head.' I remembered seeing similar but not exactly the same art at Munvalli Fort.

I went exploring the exteriors, its also quite plain like the interior. However, inscriptions dominate the temple premises. About 20 slabs of various sizes stand around the temple. Of these 20, about 5 of them are more than six feet tall and the tallest one is 12 feet- the biggest I've ever seen.

A closer look at the bigger ones.

Lord Ganesha.

Behind the temple is this little Basavnna.

I wonder what this is used for- breaking coconuts or light camphor on it?

A deepastambha.

A collection of hero-stones and inscriptions.

I wonder if all these inscriptions belong to this temple. Perhaps some are from temples with no one to look after.

No idea to which god this smaller temple is dedicated to. Anybody will be amazed at the tall slab leaning against the temple.

Did the sculptor who made this wanted to create a record for the tallest inscription?

The top is fairly well preserved but the text is fading. I wish these monuments get better attention.

Few videos of Harihareshwara temple.

If you are driving on NH4 and passing by Harihar, do stop by to see this beautiful temple.

Harihareshwara Temple Coordinates: 14°30'45"N 75°48'10"E

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Shishunala Sharief Saheb's grave and temple

2011-11-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

Shishuvinhal, some time 2000 or 2001. That was my first visit. Back then a simple mud wall surrounded Shariefsaheb's grave. The place had a peaceful ambiance.

May 27, 2011.

Frankly speaking I had seconds thoughts about getting off the car. The sight of concrete and unfinished building and construction material put me off. Everything here has changed so much.

Care takers do work hard to keep this platform clean and tidy.

I do not remember visiting this temple during my first visit. The temple is dedicated to Sharief Saheb and his mater Guru Govind Bhat.

The inside was untidy, behind me was a heap of flowers and other left overs.

Guru Govind Bhat and Sharief Saheb.

One of the posters depicting significant events from Sharief Saheb's life.

Temple's front has two open chambers with idols of the master and his disciple.

Sharief Saheb's grave Coordinates: 15°5'9"N 75°19'16"E

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Gudibande Fort

2011-11-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

August 20, 2011.

We were driving towards Gudibande after the good Andhra style lunch stop at Bagepalli. We had to travel about just 20+ kilometers yet we decided to take a break under a tree just outside one of villages. We stretched out flat on a platform built at a Baniyan tree base. The rest did help us recharge our batteries for the upcoming climb. There it is- Gudibande as seen from the East. Looks like a Shivalinga and reminds me of Shivagange.

Gudibande, a multi-level hill fort was built 400 years ago by a local chieftain Byre Gowda. It is said that Byre Gowda looted the rich to help the poor.

We start our climb with Durga and me leading Mom, Deepi and Gulli. I wasn't expecting mom to climb since she refused to the relatively easier climb at Gummanayakanapalya. Post lunch & rest Durga was fully charged. She's depicting a soldier heralding a king's arrival ...blowing one of those long curved wind instruments :)

Massive walls. Happy to see them well preserved. It's a long steep climb but steps make the climb easy.

In the background, behind this temple is a gateway we just passed through. We met two men on their way down. They were praising the fort and mentioned that one should be have the good fortune to see such places in person. ...I guess that remark is true to an extent.

A pair of wheels, perhaps used for for grinding food grains into flour. Durga spotted a grasshopper on the wheel under the shrub.

An example of plant life's versatility. This tree looks as though its grown out of those rocks. Indeed most of its roots are anchored to those rocks.

The second gateway.

Floral motifs in brick and mortar decorate the gateway.

One of the three underpasses.

Underpass with a ninety degree turn.

A sentry room.

The turret at the first gateway offers a good view of the town and surrounding plains.

Another turret, similar to the one below dominates the upper portion of the fort. Without these granite slab steps climbing here during rains would be dangerous. I wonder how many men slogged and how many years went by in converting this rocky hill into a hill fort.

Steps leading to the third gateway.

More brick and mortar construction.

A small idol of Lord Hanuman embedded in a wall close to the gateway.

The gateway opens into an open area with ramps and flights of steps connecting its multiple levels. Two turrets dominate this level of the fort. This is the ramp leading up to the southern turret. The turret provides a commanding view of the fort below & above and also Gudibande village and its surrounding plains ...right up to Varlakonda.

That's the summit and the core Gudibande Fort.

Looks as though slabs were used to build these walls to save material and time. However handling slabs would have been required little more effort than handling smaller stones.

View of the summit from the northern ramp.

Closer look at the wall and its base. Tricky piece of construction!

I climb up the steep steps leading up to the gateway to the core. The opening is to the left but hidden.

A place for tired climbers to get rest or was a security office? This door opens to a small dark chamber. The second door, on the other side of the chamber gives access to the core. Elaborate security system.

The Northern turret & it's ramp and sentry rooms to the right.

Rest of the gang had reached the summit much before me. As I stepped into the core, I saw a rain water pond to my right.

It is said that 19 ponds existed to harvest rain water. Steps hewn out of rock bed leading to the a small courtyard.

On our left is a shelter for sentries. Straight ahead, out of view is another rain water pond and to the right is a temple.

This structure's slanting base makes it unique. The sentry room has plenty of room inside, I would have been happy to stand inside but for all the trash- paper plates, cups, bottles. Some people are just too insensitive!

This Shivalinga in this temple is believed to be one of the 108 Jyotirlingas. Pillars inside the temple feature Vijayanagara architecture. A tall monolithic sixteen sided pillar with a finely sculpted square base has images on all four faces; Bedara Kannappa, Nandi and Shanmugha. I couldn't recognize the fourth image.

The legendary Shiva Bhakta- Bedara Kannappa in the act of gouging out his eye for Lord Shiva.

Varlakonda hill stands out prominently on the horizon. That was my third destination for the day but doubtful if we'll make it there while its still light.

A series of videos shot while descending Gudibande Kote.

Gudibande Fort coordinates: 13°40'36"N 77°42'1"E

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Rama Temple, Gummanayakanapalya

2011-10-29T00:09:00.000-07:00

It's hard to miss the fact that Gummanayakana Palya monuments' have similarities to monuments of Hampi. I'm happy to see the Mantapa standing. This Mantapa in the middle of the village is right opposite Venkateshwara temple. The temple has connections to Tirumala temple but only the locals know about it.

There's Rama temple in the village square. Village folks use it as a cattle-shed and its interior is messy; stones slabs in the floor have been plundered and loose stones lay scattered all around. The temple surrounding is filthy, especially the backside is an open toilet.

One of the villagers went a step ahead and constructed walls between columns!

I was hesitating to step inside. A little calf caught Durga's attention and she wanted to pet it. Raghunatha Reddy, our friend for moment lead us pointing where to step. Durga was all smiles after patting the calf's head.

The columns are basically square with octagonal sections in between. Faces depict various characters- Gods and animals. The Garbhagudi has a Mantapa with four such beautifully sculpted pillars featuring a mix of geometrical and floral designs.

Jai Hanuman!

Its sad to see such art being neglected so badly.

The exterior of the temple depicts scenes from Ramayana.

That's Lord of Lanka- Ravana with ten heads and twenty hands. I wish I had shot the entire scene of Ravana in the company of royal attendants.

That's Sitadevi sitting under couple of trees and surrounded by Ravana's people ...perhaps they are asking Sitadevi to marry Ravana.

Is that supposed to be a wild boar? To me it looks like a hyena. Big fish chasing a smaller fish.

A serpent.

Battle scenes depicting Rakshasa warriors, chariots, monkeys, etc.

One more battle scene showing archers shooting Rakshasas. Other images show cows, elephant and women.

Rama shooting an arrow through seven tree trunks. Laxmana and Hanuman are also seen here.

Battle of the Lords: Rama and Ravana shooting arrows at each other. You can also see the scene of Sugreeva and Vali fighting while Rama aims an arrow at Vali's back.

The temple has many interesting and educative scenes from Ramayana. However, the sculptures look incomplete ...probably abandoned when Vijayanagara Empire collapsed.

On the way to Bagepalli we had to pass through a village called Tolapalli. Elevated haystacks caught my attention; not need to be guarded from cattle and it also works like a shelter for cattle.

This mansion at Tolpalli stands out in the village. The owner of the mansion would be a landlord and a local leader.

The mansion looks like a small palace. In these times its not easy to maintain such heritage buildings.

We stopped by another ancient temple. The board reads Shree Panchanandeswara Swami Sannidhi. Shree Hiraneswaraswami Devastana.

The reason to stop here was to check the ruins of this little mantapa.

We spotted Telugu inscription here.

We headed towards Bagepalli and stopped for a Andhra style lunch. The restaurant was on the town outskirts, we all enjoyed the meal. Durga did not complain one bit!

Our next destination for the day was Gudibande Fort.

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Gummanayakana Kote

2011-10-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

I heard about Gummanayakana Kote from a fellow blogger and my mind was made up to visit it. It was a long wait and the day finally arrived. We had hired a Tavera and left Bangalore by 4-30AM. The driver, Dayanand was driving pretty slow for a 6 lane highway, he was sleepy. Slow but he was driving safe. We turned off NH7 towards Bagepalli. Deepak had marked the fort's location in his Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and giving directions. The hilly terrain was a treat to our eyes. Tummies growling ...we found a silent spot and stopped for breakfast- bread, butter, cheese, peanut butter and tomato chutney.

As we resumed our journey Deepak continued giving directions. I had a feeling we had missed a turn and heading in the wrong direction. We got the directions from few villagers, reached Tholapalli and finally GNKote was in our sights. Couple of kilometers before Gummanayakanapalya, we saw ruins of an ancient temple and a stepped well. This reminded me of the stepped well at Hampi. Later I learn little about Gummanayakana Palya's history and it's connection with Vijayanagara empire.

We climbed down and explored the ruins. As you this historic well isn't being cared for. A farmer was cutting grass for his cattle ...if not for farmers probably this well would have been swamped with all kinds of plants.

A standing boulder caught my attention. You can see Gummanayakana Kote in the background.

At the village square we found a group of people sitting idle. I inquired if we can get a guide to take us up the hill and show the fort. Raghunatha Reddy came forward to help us and asked couple of teenage boys, some how they weren't interested. Raghunath showed us the way till the fort's main entrance. During the short walk, he mentioned that cattle herding is the main profession and source of income for people here. The narrow village lane we walked through was littered with sheep droppings. Agriculture is secondary but unprofitable. Farmers' plight is same :( where ever I've been until now.

We pass by temples dedicated to Ganesha and Hanuman.

The second gateway is like a security office with halls on either sides. Probably it also served as a waiting lounge for visitors.

The fort with seven rings of walls.

I was delighted to see this structure, ruins of a palace. Going by the looks it could be a much recent construction. We could go up the steps and see the inside of the balcony.

The arched floral window with grills were interesting and preserved quite well until now but you can see acts of vandalism. When will people learn to respect historical monuments?

Another gateway through thick walls. The path has a ninety degree turn right, a security feature fort designers had adopted.

As we walk between the walls, we come to another security office we passed through earlier but much smaller. Right next to the walls was this stone which I assumed was a Shiva Linga. On the Linga shaped stone has a Shankha and a Chakra, symbols of Vishnu.

Puddles of water and overgrown thorny shrubs had hidden the path on our left. I went up a rock exploring a path towards the temple but it was too steep for mom. Durga and mom decide to settle on a rock nearby while Deepak and Gulli join me.

While trying to locate the upward path, I find the path which mom could have easily climbed. I go down and ask the ladies to come up but mom was busy with Sudha and refused to move. Aagh! I started climbing back again.

That's the gateway to the core of the fort, the summit.

There's nothing much inside, I mean no major constructions like guard rooms or offices or temples. The hill top provides a good view of the surrounding village below, the plains, hills and lakes.

Rampart wall and bastion as seen from another bastion. I had to crouch to pass through an opening barely wide enough and half my height to reach the bastion I was standing on.

On to the left, more walls and bastions. Notice the rock formation to the extreme right?

This rock formations defines the skyline of Gummanayakane Kote. I wonder if the two rocks fitting each other is a natural creation or man made.

Some parts of the fort has natural defenses but walls have been built to ensure safety.

Rain water harvesting pond featuring both natural and man made characteristics.

Perhaps this two level open area was for soldiers to train and practice weaponry skills.

As seen from the lower level facing the opposite direction.

We walk along the wall with a sheer drop. Notice ruins of a small house like structure. This is the only constructions here and seems like from the same time as the palace below.

The position of the well is very interesting. Deepak and Gulli had missed seeing this and were chatting away near the gateway while waiting for me to join them. I said this could be a good place to punish criminals by pushing them down into the well. Deepak had different thoughts; he said this could be an emergency escape point. We jokingly discussed the plight of a criminal thrown down, Deepak said he might just come back and say "Sir, I enjoyed the dive, why don't you throw me down again!?"

We came down, on the way to the well, which is a stone's throw behind us, we found this left-over of probably a huge tree. Gulli posed as though he discovered a dinosaur skeleton :) Gulli keeps us smiling even though he's sad inside.

Looking up towards the summit.

Black coating on Rock face ..what could that be? Has it got anything to do with the color of the water in the well?

Water looks sinister. We felt the water could be clean ...good enough for bathing and washing. Of course back then, this would been an important source of water and maintenance activities like adding lime would be done on a regular basis.

The chasm between these massive rocks form a natural outlet for the water. However, a brick wall built across the walls works like a dam.

An ancient structure which could have been a granary.

We go down the hill and reach the other inner palace ruins close to where Durga and mom were.

All of us liked the place, in fact we spoke about camping one night at the summit. It was past noon when reached the village square.

Link to videos shot at Gummanayakana Kote.

Gummanayakana Kote co-ordinates; 13°48'8"N 77°55'34"E

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Savandurga

2011-10-15T00:15:00.001-07:00

August 17, 2011

It was almost 3 years since my last visit to Savandurga. During rainy season the place is a paradise. But you need weather on your side for a safe climb. We had left Bangalore around early morning 4-30 and reached here by 6-30.

We had stopped to take this picture.

We parked Santro close to Laxminarasimha temple. Two dogs and two pups hanging around followed us. Invariably dogs accompany early climbers. This is at the base of the hill. A narrow gap behind the grass, under the tree is the right path.

That's the first gateway.

We made it here in about 10 minutes, same as earlier climbs. Of the two pups, one was wounded and it could not manage to climb up the rocks. We could hear it yelping kui kui kui. Little further, the other pup which was with us turned back, perhaps it wanted to be with the wounded pup. In this short video you can see the pup pauses to look at Deepak and Vijay as if to say "you guys did not help my sibling" and goes off.

You saw the pup stop and turn back?

Deepak and Vijay look up towards the second gateway. This stretch, approximately 100 feet long is one of the steepest stretches in our path.

We take a five minute break. I was amazed at this 200+ years brick wall. I made a mental note to pick up a brick on the way back.

Deepak gives his legs some rest. The climb ahead is half kilometer straight stretch. Fresh mountain air starts blowing in mist.

Deepak and Vijay go ahead as I stop by to shoot pictures of a snail, cactus and tender ficus leaves. This part of Savandurga is like a natural Bonsai nursery. Ruins of a bastion in ruins. Every year rain water washes away stones and mud making it smaller.

There they are. I start chasing them...

...we are at the guard's house by the time I catch up. Weather up here is fantastic. that's the guard house pond.

Magic Mist; I wish for mist and there it is :)

We stop for breakfast; bread, cheese, jam and peanut butter. We share breakfast with the dogs. Hunger satisfied, I was eager to move on. Deepak suggested we visit Hanuman for few minutes. Earlier the path to the open air Hanuman temple was wild and littered with thorns. But this time I could make it bare foot. Deepak says he wants to try bare foot walk and takes off shoes.

We bow to you Lord Hanuman.

Looking back at the 'ditch' I just came through. Normally this ditch is covered with 6 to 7 feet high grass. During our previous climbs we had to bend down and search for the path. But this time, with less rains, grass was not as thick.

I spot a Othikata, a lizard and show it to Deepak. There he is aiming his Canon SX30 at the lizard just below the small rock.

This little tree managed to grow out from a narrow gap in the rocks.

Path ahead is interesting. Here we go below rocks which form arches. This is the stretch which acts like a bridge across a chasm. Do see this video.

The summit has few Frangipani trees. During winters these trees are full of fragrant white-yellow flowers. I could find a few flowers on one of the trees but it was too slippery to climb. I find a fresh looking flower and pick it up.

The Basavanna sits peacefully in his little Mantapa. I climb on to the Mantapa and go around Basava three times and place the Frangipani close to his feet.

Deepak has spotted this exotic insect. The moment I saw it a sports car flashed in my mind. The glossy green inset is unperturbed by our presence. Perhaps it was deep in sleep.

We settle down in silence, away from each other. We wanted to enjoy to the silence, the fresh cold mist laden air. That's Thippagondanahalli reservoir in the background. On the middle of the picture you can see the guard house and the shelter where is had breakfast.

Mist would come and go. For minutes together we would see a white screen. Then mist would clear off for a minute or so then again a white screen. I sat there mesmerized ...that's Deepak in the picture below.

Savandurga has two peaks- Biligudda and Karigudda, the terms mean 'White hill' and 'Black hill'. We are looking at Biligudda.

Unlike Karigudda, Biligudda climb is mostly under the cover of trees. It's more wild and few people have ever climbed it. If you look carefully you can find two guard houses on it. I climbed it two times but failed to reach the guard houses. I hope the day will come. We were hungry again, had more bread and cheese. We realized the dogs were still with us.

Last look at Basava Mantapa for the day.

This sight caught my attention. It seems like an opening to a different world. I remember taking a picture of my dad here. Dad really enjoyed overnight stays here, two times.

Independence Day was two days ago. Savandurga has it's own flag :)

I did pick up a loose brick lying in the open. During a descent, our feet experience lot of forces, gets rubbed against the rock. With all the action, our feet were burning and a dip in water would give a great feeling. With all the dead skin scraped off, my feet felt cleaner and softer. It was a natural massage, all the acupuncture points in the sole would have been activated. You got to do this once in a while, good for improving blood circulation.

Back at the first gateway. Take a close looks the tree's roots.

back then construction workers were brave and intelligent. How did they manage to build a wall of stones, nothing to bind the stones, on a slope.

Looking back at the gateway. That's where the wounded pup got stuck and cried for help. We saw a young couple going up. We could see another group of youngsters noisily making their way up. I wish they kept their mouths shut or at least speak softly.

You cannot simply miss this guy. Whoever created this must have wanted people to smile. The dogs parted us at almost the same spot where they joined us.

One of the two elephants in temple entrance.

We had tender coconut water. The teenage shopkeeper told us that a rouge elephant was loose in the jungle and people were trying to capture it. It seems the elephant had killed a man near Bidadi. We freshened up, stuff our bags into the car and got going. About a kilometer down the road, we stopped to check out ruins. This could have been a gateway during Kempegowda's time. It's wide enough even for elephants.

Steps carved out in rock. The step ahead of me had a Kannada inscription. The last four letters read Narasayya.

We stop at a small eatery and have rice for lunch. On the way back towards Magadi we saw a groups of Karnataka Forest Department vehicles and an ambulance also. Yes this was the part of the groups hunting for the fugitive elephant. We move on ...our destinations were Magadi Fort and then Huliyur Fort. Back home I realized that my research was inadequate and we had missed out Huthridurga Fort which was around 20km from Magadi.

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Rock Garden and Chivla Beach, Malwan

2011-10-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

April 14, 2011

Apart from Sindhudurg, Malwan's other attractions are Ganesh Mandir, Rock Garden and Chivla beach. Afternoon 4:30 we started with Ganesh Mandir located at the end of the main market street. The temple is small, well maintained.

That's the Garbhagudi entrance.

The golden idol of Lord Ganesha.

Rock Garden was about half kilometer. We chose to walk.

Rock Garden is an interesting place. No sand, just rocks and lawn. The garden also has a toy train but sadly it hasn't been working for months. Even though lot of people were here it did not feel crowded. Its a nice place to relax, fresh breeze from the sea, sounds of waves lapping at rocks, setting sun... Crabs scampering among rocks were an attraction for kids and few grown ups too. Teenagers were busy taking pictures of each other. I happened to notice an urbane girl in green dress, accompanied by her mom and granny, busy taking her own pictures with a mobile phone. Perhaps she wanted a good picture for her Facebook profile.

Sun makes the sky honey color.

I like watching crabs, especially the way they move. Of 20+ pictures this was the only decent one. I wonder how many eyes this crab has. The face looks like a hood of a futuristic car and the eye are like headlights.

Sun was out of sight after this.

Next morning we were on Chiwla beach by 6:30. Tourists can choose between the 3 beach resorts here. They looked pretty decent from the outside. Mom found a nice stone and stayed there watching Durga play in sand. Dipi got into the water. I took off for a walk. I wanted to see & shoot and then get into water.

A short video-

The bow shaped Chiwla beach is about 1.2km long. At one end is Rock Garden and on the other end is Sarjekot fishing village. Folks were busy in various activities- some preparing to into the sea, while some had just returned and untangling their catch from the nets.

Two fishermen arrive at the beach, they had spent the night fishing.

This short video shows how a boat is moved from sea to beach.

I went beyond the village but stopped a 100 meters shy of the rocks marking the end. Not a good idea to venture beyond the fishing village i just passed by. I turn back.

A crab hole being washed over.

It takes in water and sand.

And still remains open. Amazing!

I joined Deepak in the sea. We were about a 100 feet into the sea water was only till chest. I spent a good 30 minutes in the water. I felt the beach was pretty safe, of course one should know the limits. With not much of shells Durga was little disappointed.

If we had more time we could have visited two more forts, Devghad and Vijaydurg about 70km and 100km.

We head back to Kiran's home-stay, have fresh water bath, have breakfast at small joint serving baji-paav, puri-bhaji and tea. Durga enjoyed the breakfast. We drive back the same way non-stop until Belgaum. After lunch we stop again at Kittur Fort. We were back home by 5PM.

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Sindhudurg: island fort in Arabian Sea

2011-10-01T00:38:00.000-07:00

Sindhu + Durg ~ Sea + Fort.

Early morning view of the fort from Malwan jetty.

We had struck a deal with a boat operator for Rs.600 for four of us, onward and return. The beach was already busy with carts and rickshaws hauling fresh catch.

I'm quoting few points from a booklet on Sindhudurg published by Pravin Vasantrao Bhosale. Chatrapathi Shivaji, the Maratha warrior king constructed Sindhudurg between 1664 and 1667. It is said that the king himself selected Kurte island as the site and monitored progress closely. Foundation for the rampart walls was laid in lead. In addition to stones on the island, stones were brought from mainland for construction activities. Workers was paid on a daily basis. It is said that 100,000 gold coins were spent on having this fort built.

View of the fort from the boat. That's the point of landing, right in front of the fort entrance. But the door is not visible, in fact one cannot make out where the entrance is.

Google map grab-

A - Mahadwara (main entrance)
B - Shivaji's hand and foot print
C - Mahapurush Tank
D - Broken wall
E - Ranichi Vela (queen's beach)
F - Nishan Burj (flag bastion)
G - Bhagavati temple
H - Sweet water wells
I - Shiva temple
J - Shivaji temple

A curved path leads to the fort door. This lever design helps conceal the entrance. Yellurgad Fort features similar entrance.

Main entrance is called Mahadwara. These walls are 10 to 20 feet thick and stand 30 to 40 feet tall. Perimeter of the fort is 4500 meters i.e. 4.5km.

These walls are well finished, no gaps between stones to be found which means no chance for anyone to climb these walls without ropes or ladders.

Atop the wall flanking the curved entrance. These walls have been standing for almost 350 years.

A raised platform to watch out for vessels approaching the Mahadwara.

Looking towards the south-eastern corner of the fort. Bastions are strategically positioned to provide adequate security from the inside.

I was headed in the anti-clockwise direction while Durga, Deepak and mom were headed in the opposite direction. I turned and joined them for breakfast- bread & jam -at the north-east corner bastion where Shivaji's hand and foot prints are preserved in two little enclosures.

It was warm and the temperature rising steadily. Durga was showing signs of boredom. We were less than quarter the way along the perimeter. The fort has natural protection ...rocks in the sea are an deterrent to boats and ships. Only experienced people are allowed to navigate boats around the fort. The bastion you see at the end of this wall must be the north-western corner of the fort.

Building straight walls is one matter but curved walls is something else. See how smoothly this wall curves and how well it is finished. The other reason for smooth walls is to let water run off. Cracks and gaps allow water to seep in and walls weaken.

Steps like these are provided at frequent intervals. I'm trying to imagine the fort during its heydays; no weeds, Maratha flaf fluttering in the breeze, guards manning their posts, soldiers training, food grains arriving on boats, boats full of soldiers sailing around the fort, probably the army had few horses also.

That's Mahapurush tank- designed to catch & store rain water. Back then even this tank would require regular cleaning. What I saw was green colored liquid. These are the days of bottled water.

This where Durga and mom ended their walk and took a short cut towards the center of the fort. Durga was very thirsty, she and mom went in search of shops. Deepak and I continued our walk on the wall.

Now we were approaching the broken section of the fort. Wall here has a raw look, mortar used to fill gaps has eroded.

That's the gap in the wall. I could not find the cause for this damage; was it a natural or man-made. It looks as though waves batter the wall continuously. Perhaps the battering would be intense during high tides.

As seen from the outside. I wonder how the workers managed to move such big boulders and place them so neatly. I'm totally bowled over at the workers' ability to shape heavy stones of no particular shape and size. Each one of the stones have been fit in so neatly. What kind of energy and skill did these people have? Present day builders can neither design nor build anything as strong and beautiful.

Deepak turned back to join Durga and mom. It was hot now but I carried on, wanted to see as much as possible. See the steps leading down to a door in the wall? Rooms were built into these walls, for guards watching over the fort during nights. How on earth did the designer convey such details to the workers? Did they have detailed drawings?

I went past the queen's beach to the Flag Bastion and called Deepak.

Gave him the location and asked him to join me- I just found something interesting for Durga. We all grouped together and I lead them to the tiny little beach. A small rectangular opening in the wall lets out of the fort, on to the beach. Durga was thrilled at the sight. After all she did find something of her interest in a boring fort. The sand here is extremely coarse, almost little pebbles. When waves wash over you hear the sound of pebbles rubbing over each other. This short video will let you see and hear-

We collected lot of colorful pebbles, what ever shells we found were broken. I felt refreshed after cooling my feet at the beach. Time to move on, we still had few more places to see.

I visited Bhagavati temple, then the 3 wells- sweet water well, milk well and curds well.

Close by is the Shiva temple, the Garbhagudi is below ground level. According to legend a underground tunnel start here leading to the main land.

Stones throw from Shiva temple is a bigger temple dedicated to Shivaraya aka Shivaji Maharaj. The Garbhagudi had a small statue of a stockily built Shivaraya. A replica of the sword used by Shivaraya encased in a wooden-glass case is kept here for display. Photography inside the temple is banned.

I was thirsty now. We had some cool drinks and called the boatman to pick us up. While we waited at Mahadwara, I went exploring and got a shot of the northern wall.

Our boatman wanted us to try snorkeling but we weren't interested. Instead we asked him to take us for a ride around the fort. This is another damaged part of the fort- outer layer of the rampart wall has collapsed here.

The boatman had to navigate with lot of care, he looked pretty experienced and confident. I just coulf not take my eye off the fort. What an amazing creation!

These massive walls have been in sun, salt water, wind and rain for three and half centuries ...amd still managed remain solid. To provide security for Sindhudurg, 3 forts on the mainland were built- Padmagad, Rajkot and Sarjekot.

A unique temple on the beach. I asked for the name and promptly forgot.

We were all tired, not because of walking, the hot and humid air sapped our energy. We headed straight to our home-stay, have bath and headed to Chaitanya. Our lunch bill was a bomb ...sea food is expensive, make sure you check prices before ordering.

Sindhudurg Coordinates: 16°2'32"N 73°27'34"E

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Drive to Malwan

2011-09-24T00:08:00.000-07:00

April 13, 2011

April-May is the time of the year Durga and Deepak spend few days with me and a trip to some near by place gets planned. Our first and second such visits were Om beach and Ulavi. For Deepak, holiday means spending time on a beach. And I had heard about Sindhudurg, the island fort in Arabian sea. We booked accommodation with a home-stay in a village about 3km from Malwan. Sindhudurg sits about a kilometer in the sea and is visible clearly from Malwan fishing jetty.

We left Dharwad by 11AM, hit Belgaum by 12, the drive on NH4 was a breeze. At Belgaum we turned off NH4 towards Amboli. The narrow urban road got twistier and wavier as we drove closer to Maharatsra. Our first stop was at Nangatarasakari Waterfall. Peak of summer, the falls let out a hiss while it roars during monsoon.

This place is packed with tourists during monsoon. That's Durga and mom.

Lunch was at Vittal Kamat close to Amboli. We went past Amboli Dab Daba, barely any water. Turns in the shaded ghat road got tighter as we drove downhill. As Savantwadi got closer the weather got warmer. About 25km before Kudal we joined the Goa-Mumbai highway, traffic was heavy. Soon we were at Kudal, the busy little town. We turned off the busy highway towards Malwan. The road winded through green hills. We took a short break to stretch our legs and to take a closer look at an interesting flower.

Durga got a bunch of them.

A type of flower which retains its beauty even when its dry.

At Malwan, we took the road towards Tarkarli, 3km down the road we found Kiran Sarmalkar's home-stay place. The place has a rural feel. The house is surrounded by huge trees with plenty of birds flying around. Durga did not like the place, she was expecting a seaside resort or a proper hotel :( Beach was 5 minute walk from this place and I was excited to go. We freshened up, had tea and our host Kiran led us to the beach.

That's Sindhudurg, our destination for the morrow.

This beach is not the type where you enjoy playing in the sea. Its a fishing folks' beach ...boats, nets & other fishing gear, fishermen sorting fish, some relaxing after day's work, dogs, cats... a busy place. Unfortunately this isn't a clean one either ...fish, crabs, snakes and a variety of other dead sea creatures litter the sands. Worst of all, this is one open toilet for the fishing folk. One filthy beach! However, we managed to find a slightly clean stretch and spent time watching the Sun and enjoying fresh sea breeze.

Durga found a violet shell with white stripes. First time I'm seeing this pattern.

As we walked around a bit, we happened to notice few more. Looks like its a commonly found shell here.

A Crab hole. Wonder why a crab hole doesn't get filled in easily when it gets run over by waves. But if you or me dig a hole, it just vanishes with one wave. Crabs are born marine engineers.

A lifeless crab.

Another lifeless crab with a tail like appendage.

Lifeless eye wide open.

A black backed heron?

A young dog posed to charge at something.

One last catch for the day.

Sun being masked by mist and clouds. Kiran told that sunsets are beautiful here but this day the sun would go out of sight much earlier then usual.

We walked back to our home-stay. Freshened up again, drove to Malwan for dinner. I was asked to check out Chaitanya Restaurant which is supposed to serve real good sea food and vegetarian Maratha Thali. We did enjoy food here but felt the prices bit high. Back at home-stay, Durga and mom hit the bed early. Deepak and I made a deal with one of the boat operators to ferry us to Sindhudurg and back. All set for next day.

That's the board Kiran has put up to catch tourists' attention. There are many such places between Malwan and Tarkarli. Many people choose prefer home-stays to the expensive seaside resorts.

Back in the room, sleep did not come easily. It was warm and mosquitoes attacked from all directions. Wish I had a mosquito net. I barely slept through the night.

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Hangal Fort and Billeshwara temple

2011-09-17T00:12:00.000-07:00

May 27, 2011.

Bird's eye view of Hangal. Anekere lake stand out prominently. I heard that elephants were given bath here and hence the name- Anekere -elephant lake. Present day Hangal fort remains is marked in two places. I got to see the one marked in the circle but not the ruins on the lake bank.

I feel the fort was much bigger, probably occupying the circular boundary adjoining the remains of the fort.

There it is; a pentagon shaped outline. The fort is currently under the horticulture department who maintain a nursery and a mango orchard. Within the fort is a small temple with a Shivalings in the Garbhagriha.

A - Fort entrance
B - Temple

I met two people here, one of them- Shripad S Akkivalli -was from the horticulture department. Shripad told us that this temple was a Jain Basti many years ago. He shows us proof- sculptures of Mahaveera and Theerthankaras. Many parts of the temple have been damaged with an intention to erase Jaina icons. Shripad mentions that these stones are sculpted as though it were wax. He says that there are many theories to how stones were shaped. One theory he heard from his father about a plant which softened stone.

Shripad believes that a plant exists or existed which sculptors of ancient India used to soften stones so that they could create works of art which we see today in thousands of temples.

Another video of the little temple with simple but beautiful art.

Billeshwara Temple

You can find this temple on the outskirts, on the left side as you drive on hangal-Haveri road. The temple is situated on a slightly elevated patch of ground.

The temple is incomplete; no shikhara, no sabha mantapa, abandoned for some reason.

Shivalinga on a stepped pedestal.

A seven-stage doorway adorns the Garbhagriha. Each of the stages has a theme of its own.

The stages that caught my attention are filled with imaginary creatures- serpents with human heads and lion's body with heads of all types of animals and birds. Very interesting. I feel a kid must have come up with this idea.

Backside of the temple.

One video of Billeswara Gudi.

One of the localities mentioned another interesting monument; Kichakana Gardimane. Gardimane is the colloquial term for gymnasium. Legend says that Bheema slayed Kichaka in the Gardimane. To reach the Gardimane one needs to walk through fields. We were running out of time, I had to attend a wedding at Ranebennur. Perhaps I can stop here during my upcoming trip to Kotipura and Balligavi.

Hangal Fort coordinates: 14°45'36"N 75°7'37"E
Billeswara Gudi coordinates: 14°45'17"N 75°7'23"E

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Closer look at Tarakeshwara Temple

2011-09-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

The sculptures you see below must be relatively recent creations. I say that because of the subjects adopted in these sculptures.

A dancing couple.

A voluptuous woman.

Love-making scenes.

A staff. I remember seeing many more staffs with slight variations.

An archer with bow and quiver full of arrows. A sexy woman. Woman giving birth assisted by a midwife.

A mother breast-feeding a baby. River with tortoises and fish. A man holding an idol.

No idea what the first image is. A woman churning curds. Must be Krishna, holding a flute, surrounded by cattle.

Man displaying strength by balancing an ox-cart on his legs. Must be sugarcane stalks with the a young boy. Looks like the woman is trying to console a crying child.

Closer looks at the man hauling an ox-cart.

A sexy curvy woman. no idea what the other two scenes depict.

Man with a serpent. Must be Hanuman with a three headed serpent. No idea what the third image is about.

A very sexy and curvy woman!

Must be Ardhanareeswara, Bhringi and a dog.

Scenes from Ramayana: Laxmana cutting Shurpanaki's nose. Sita and Rama looking at the golden deer. Maricha dying after being struck by Rama's arrow.

Death of Maricha. Rama shooting with a bow. Hanuman with...

A battle scene. Should be Indra on Airavata. No idea who the third character is.

I wonder who these characters are.

A hunter. A hugging couple. The naked woman seemingly absorbed in worship of some sort.

Another voluptuous woman. Characters with unique attire and hair style. The male character on the right is carrying a whip over his shoulder.

Sages worshiping Shivalinga.

These characters seems to be warriors.

A series of unfinished to about to start images: Posterior of a nude woman. A kissing couple. A standing man.

Some more unfinished work: Love-making couple. No idea... Man hugging a woman from her back.

Must be monkeys building a bridge to Lanka.

My guess: Lord Shiva in hunter form. Shiva-Parvati dancing. The man and woman are upto something...

These little characters are hardly noticed. The floral designs caught my attention.

With so many things to see, its easy to miss out interesting sculptures. In spite of having seen so many such temples I simply cannot stop wondering how people of those days created them.

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Around the World in 80 Days

2011-09-08T05:11:00.000-07:00

I read this fascinating story when in school. I dreamed of such journeys filled with action and adventure. Sometime early 80s the story was telecast on Doordarshan. It was in a series of 30 minute cartoon shows once a week... can't remember how many weeks. I would sit glued to our black & white TV set. I cannot recall the scenes I saw on the screen but the show left a lasting impression in my teenage mind.

The story is available in different versions by different authors with varying levels of details. This particular book by Jules Verne is for children. I could read it in about one and quarter hour.

Do read it if you can get your hands on this book. If not, you can still get the gist of the story on Wikipedia: Around the World in Eighty Days.

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Tarakeshwara temple, Hangal

2011-09-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

May 27, 2011

Hangal, a small town in Haveri district was ruled by Kadambas of Banavasi, Gangas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara, Adil Shahis and finally Tipu Sultan. Tarakeshwara temple of Hangal was constructed by Kadambas and later Kalyani Chalukyas made changes to it. Since Kadambas ruled between 345AD and 525AD it won't be wrong to say that the temple was built during the 4th Century. Nagareshwara temple at Bankapura fort is also a Banavasi Kadamba creation.

The entwined pair of snakes is an eye-catching piece of work. One snake has 6 heads while the other one has 3 heads but both seems to of same length. The front enterance of the temple is blocked for some reason.

The outer wall- sculpted and aligned to perfection.

The platform on the left side of the picture connects the Garbha Griha to the assembly/dance hall. The temple is a long narrow structure.

Typical Kadamba enterance- ribbed/grooved spirals flanking 3 steps. Just try running your fingers in the grooves...

A Shiva Linga.

Turned & polished and sculpted column.

Closer look at the lower portion of the column.

Sunflowers in ceiling.

Highly complex designs in Natya Mantapa ceiling.

Columns like these surround the Natya Mantapa. The inner two look like they were added later to support the beam or to reduce load on individual columns.

Octagonal columns.

Elephants are prominent in Banavasi history.

Shikhara over the Garbhagriha.

A mythological creature adorns the Girbhagriha drain.

This sculpture is placed at the Shikhara's base on the temple terrace.

Also on the terrace positioned above the doorways.

This stone is slightly different. The yellow color creates a glow, as though its lit up.

Hero-stones and other sculptures dumped inside the temple.

A stubby little pillar stand very close to the temple's front doorway. Does it have a function?

A group of school kids had come picnicking. One of them asked me if I'd seen the Basavanna. No. It's just outside the temple walls. The kids led me to it.

I felt bad to see such a beautiful creation damaged so badly.

Ganesha temple.

Hangal Tarakeshwara temple is one of the most beautiful temples of Haveri district. Haveri to Hangal is about 40km and distance between Hangal-Dharwad via Tadas is about 100km.

Coordinates: 14°45'54"N 75°7'25"E

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Nagareshwara Temple, Bankapur Fort

2011-08-27T00:56:00.000-07:00

Nagareshwara Gudi of Bankapur is one of the important archaeological monuments of Haveri district. The other important ones are; Purasiddeshwar Gudi, Haveri; Galaganatheswar Gudi, Galaganatha; Chaudayyadanapura Eshawar Gudi, Ranebennur and Tarakeshwar Gudi, Hangal.

I could not see the inside of the temple during my first visit to Bankapur Fort. I was here by 5-30 and the gate was locked. This is all I saw.

During the second, May 27th 2011, I reached by 8 in the morning. It wasn't open yet. I walked to another temple nearby where I could see signs of human activity, found the poojari and checked if he knew who was in-charge of temple. I was lucky, the temple care-taker was around and poojari asked him to show the temple.

The temple is known by the number of columns inside- 66 or 68. I'm not sure which number is right. Anyway, the columns are beautifully turned, polished and adorned with lot of art.

Though most of the columns have lost shine, the temple is pretty well maintained. I wonder why it is below ground level. Was it buried in dirt to protect it from the marauding armies?

These formation of little pits could have been used to play some sort of game. Probably these were created in recent times.

A typical column.

Most columns have this artistic ring at the mid section. This looks like a bangle and I'm pretty sure jewelry designers would have copied this pattern.

Many columns had four of these around them.

A complex art work inside a dome.

Difficult temple to shoot. With my poor skills at indoor photography, I could not do better.

The outer columns rising from the sitting platform have octagonal cross-section.

A collection of sculptures lie scattered around the temple. I remember seeing 2 or 3 flat-topped Islamic tomb markers within the temple compound.

This is the bottom most layer of the outer wall of the temple.

This is the best shot I got here. The engineering precision is amazing. How on Earth did the sculptors manage this precision!?

Couple of not good videos but enough to show what's missing from the pictures above.

Nagareshwara Temple Coordinates: 14°55'32"N 75°14'58"E

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