1993 Mahamasthakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola

Anish said “Hey Sidda! Let’s go see Mahamastakabhisheka”
I: let me check at with parents
Amma said “no” as usual. I persisted. Appaji said “Let them go or they’ll have to wait another 12 years.” I was all smiles.

December 19, 1993. Anish and I left home at 2am on my Kinetic Honda. The night chill was bearable within city limits but once on the highway it was freezing, especially while riding in the front. Fingers became numb, nose would freeze… The ride was somewhat lonely, hardly any traffic on the highway, which in a way was good. Somewhere near Kunigal, we saw a car with a smashed front with a sole occupant seemingly waiting for help to arrive.

The chill factor got worse as we rode on, at times we shivered. After Channarayapatna, we left the highway at Hirisave and took the road to Shravanabelagola. Last 18km to our destination. A few kilometers before Shravanabelgola we saw a huge camp. rows after rows of tents, hundreds of them. That was the camp setup for devotees from other places, mostly out of Karnataka. People were up and getting ready for the grand Abhisheka which was due to start in a few hors. Small groups were huddled around fire trying to keep the warm in the freezing cold. We rode slow, looking at the sights… then we saw a row of shops set up for the camp. We stopped as soon as we saw a tea-shop. As I remember it took us a minute to get off the scooter… our joints were frozen stiff. We stood close to the coal stove trying to soak up the warmth. The first few minutes we had difficulty holding the glasses because the finger tips had lost sensation. After three glasses of tea we felt a little better but it was still cold. 

At Shravanabelagola we parked my Kinetic Honda in the town bus-stand which is close to Chandragiri. Gomateshwara statue stands on Vindhyagiri and we wouldn't be allowed up there since we did not have the required passes for the event. However public was allowed on Chandragiri, we positioned ourselves on some rocks which had a clear view of Vindhyagiri. Gomateshwara's head and shoulders were visible. A huge scaffolding had been erected around the statue.

Cold was giving way to sun’s heat now. The place was getting busy now with people filling up the hill we were on and we could see the privileged ones, mostly in white, slowly trudging up Vindhyagiri towards Bahubali. Down below, police had barricaded the streets and vehicles were off limit and we suddenly realized our scooter in the bus-stand would be difficult to take out. We moved it to a different spot and came back to our place on the hill. The hill was almost full now. The time was nearing… I’m not too sure the order of colors, we saw water, milk, sandal paste, turmeric, vermilion, flowers… Just imagine the quantity of liquids required to bathe the almost 18m statue! It was a sight worth looking at. 

We watched just the first one hour of the event and decided to leave… we did not have plans of getting stuck in the ever increasing crowd. We said bye to Bahubali, Shravanabelagola and the people and moved towards Channarayapatna where we had lunch and started off towards Bangalore.

Four years later, Gulveer and I visited Shravanabelagola during a weekend. We reached late afternoon, checked into a hostel, a simple little place, went for a walk, saw Bastis… it was relaxing, silent, peaceful and serene. Morning, we woke up early, bathed and went up Vidhyagiri and stood before Bahubali’s feet. Wow! What a statue it is! I was wondering how it was created, how much it weighed, there was no chance for any mistakes while the artists sculpted... We spent about an hour looking around the cells where the monks used to live. As I type out the words, I feel I should revisit the place.

India is full of such wonders, be it natural or man-made. There’s so much to see; our temples, forts, towers, wells and what not. What kind of talent and skill gave such wonderful forms to stones! Truly amazing!! Surely people of those times had put in lot of effort and time to create these wonders. They also lived in synch with nature. Modern man somehow ends up messing up with Mother Nature… sad but true.

PS: 3 days after publishing this post i.e. on Dec 31st, I visited Shravanabelagola. This time with Durga, Deepak and Gulveer.

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Jesus Christ, Altinho, Panaji

The picture's not so clear but you have to see this statue if you ever go to Panaji, Goa. This statue is situated at Archbishop's Palace, Altinho, Panaji.

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Chilamkur night sky

One night, after dinner, Praveen and I were walking within The India Cements Limited, Chilamkur staff colony... And suddenly there was a total black-out. Absolute darkness! The first few seconds we just saw black every where, then slowly, as our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we could see thing in the faint light coming from the sky. I looked up, to the sky, it was packed with stars; tiny, small, big and large. This is the first time I saw such a scene- jet-black screen with twinkling, shiny dots. That's when I realized the beauty of the rhyme-

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

Chilamkur is a remote village near Yerraguntla in Cuddappah District of Andhrapradesh. Between 1993 and 1998, we used to visit the cement plant quite often and got a chance to see the beauty of interior Andhra. We traveled the stretch between Chilamkur and Kurnool few times and every time it was an adventure. Flash floods forcing us to take long detours, road blocks, our Maruti Omni having trouble with lights and once hand-brake jammed... I remember seeing a small spot full of date palm giving an effect of an oasis in the Mid-East. During another visit, we drove next to red colored hills which looked like a picture out of Texas.

I love to see sunrises in Andhra, there's some special effect in them.
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Four shots from Jamkhandi

Here are a four of my favorite pictures from Jamkhandi shot in a film-roll aim-n-shoot camera.

spiral staircase at Jamkhandi Palace

This ancient sculpted idol is at Rameshwara Gudi which is a part of the palace complex. Of course the temple is older than the palace. It is said that any person who can pass through that narrow gap with a wish, will have that wish come true. It seems the original gap was larger, the paving slabs have reduced a few inches. I don't think even a 6 year old could pass through it.

A rock face on the hills seen early morning

a Peepul or a Ficus on the eastern edge of the hill

The tree spot is a great place to see sunrises and sunsets. It was peaceful and tranquil up there.

Jamkhandi is a small town but a prosperous one. It still has that rural touch and there are several interesting places nearby. I had stayed at a cousin's place here during the 14-day biking tour across Karnataka.
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Faces in rocks

Rock formations are amazing sights especially when one looks at them with a touch of imagination. There are rocks or hills which look like Shiva Linga, for example Shiva Gange near Tumkur. Here are a couple of rock formations in which one could see human faces.

This rock is like a dead man's face, as though its sticking out of its grave. This rock is at Koongal Betta, near Ramanagara on Bangalore-Mysore road.

The second one looks like a British cop wearing a custodian hat. This sandstone rock is at Badami, the Chalukyan capital from VI to VIII Century CE.

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Scooter-Bicycle Tow Trips

Looking back into the past, I could call this the craziest and the scariest acts.

Jayanth and I used bicycles to commute to college or tuition classes and on the way back, we used to get towed by one of friends who had bikes or scooters. Tow-riding went on for few months and both Jayanth and I got pretty good, even in traffic. We knew when to hold hands and when not to, we were experts at managing the momentum we had picked. At times we rode confidently at 50khph.

One day after college, we (Nagaraj was the third guy) planned a ride to Bannerghatta, which was about 20km from our college SSMRVC. Nagaraj and I on my Bajaj Super (Bajaj Chetak’s younger brother) and Jayanth on his bicycle. Nagaraj was riding pillion and towing Jayanth. The first 5-6km we did 20-30 kmph beyond which the traffic was lesser and the road was ours now. We gradually went up to 50s and Jayanth was cool and confident. Nagaraj was doing his job nicely. “Faster?” I asked Jayanth, “Yes” was the reply. Open the throttle little more, 60, 70 and 80! I was amazed at Jayanth’s control over the bike with just one hand on the handle-bar. We did 80s for almost 2km in a stretch. I wonder how the tires took the beating. The ride back home was not so fast but not too slow also. We had discovered a new kind of adventure.

After few days, Jayanth and I decided to go to Nandi Hills (the main reason was to enjoy beer in cool weather) and Nagaraj also wanted to join us but we had only my scooter. We looked at each other… why not??

Atlas cycle. CAL 150, gas tank full, bag with packed food and few beer bottles. And high spirits. We started early, rode slowly and carefully, dodging pedestrians, cattle, traffic and cops. Soon we were out of city limits and on the highway. We rode with lot of care… we had to cover 60km, one way. And parents and home did not know about our new found method. 4km beyond Devanahalli, we went off the highway on to the road to our destination. Now the traffic was sparse and our speed went to 80s. The road was a straight line for almost 8km, riding at an average speed of 60kmph. That was fun!

Soon we were right below Nandi Betta, looking up at the road snaking up the hill ahead of us. Now our worry was how I would be to tow uphill on twisting & turning stretch of road. What would we do at hair-pin curves? Jayanth, was cool, as usual. We decided to ride slow since Jayanth needs to be in contact at all times. The moment he loses contact, he would loose momentum and might come to a stop. And to tow from zero is tricky for the one riding the bicycle, especially uphill. We were fast learners and mastered the technique. We reached the summit without much difficulty. People were giving us looks…

We explored the hill top- ruins of a fort, ancient stepped wells which were actually birthplaces of rivers, temples, Nandi idol and a big stepped tank. Then we relaxed in the cool shade of massive trees and enjoy the cool air. Beers vanished, then food finished. Time to head back now. This trip was all about riding and beer.

Downhill ride was fun and Jayanth enjoyed it immensely. 8km of freewheeling is not something we could do everyday. Once back on the plain road, we touched 90s, that’s before we hit the highway. We were getting bolder and scooter was capable of doing 110kmph but we did not wanted to put ourselves in danger or spoil the fun. It was dark when we reached back home.

Following day, back at the college our adventure was the talk of the day.

PS: Talking about cycling, I had done a Bangalore-Bannerghatta-Bangalore bicycle ride with two of my classmates during 1984 summer vacation. Two years later i.e. after PUC-1 exams, I did a Bangalore-Mysore-Kallur-Bangalore bicycle ride with another classmate. These kind of adventures were uncommon in my friends circle. I was fortunate to have friends like Skanda, Babu Prasad, Jayanth, Satish and my brother Deepak; and my parents who allowed such freedom.
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Nandi at Chamundi Betta

This was third visit to Chamundi Hills. On that day my cousin Vivek and I had visited Chennakesava Devastana at Somanathpur and then come here. Purpose of the visit was to see the big Nandi. We got off the bus on the main road, walked 2 km to reach the steps connecting the base to the hill top. We climbed the steps under a blazing Sun.

My wish to see Nandi closely was fulfilled. It's truly a magnificent creation. Seated on a pedestal, the giant Nandi is a sweet looking calf with a chubby face and big eyes. Unlike other the other big Nandi idols such as Lepakshi Nandi or Basavangudi Nandi, this Nandi seems to be soaked in oil. I think Nandi is bathed in oil during some festival, probably a Enne Snana.

To my knowledge, Lepakshi Nandi is the largest monolithic Nandi in southern India (if not the whole of India). The next largest seems to be Chamundi Betta Nandi followed by Basavangudi Nandi and Nandihalli Nandi.

After Nandi darshan. we went up to the summit, visited Chamundi Devastana. I think we had to wait for an hour or so to get a darshan of Chamundidevi.

From Chamundi Betta we returned to Mysore and took a bus back to Bangalore.
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Gokak Falls

November 19, 2000

We were at Gokak for a day for a cousin's wedding. On the wedding morning we planned to see the famous waterfall. The town's KSRTC bus-stand was almost opposite to our lodge. We took a bus to the waterfall. Even though its such a famous tourist destination, the place wasn't tourist friendly. We moved around a bit and found a good view point. That's Deepak pointing out birds to Appaji.

This is the hanging bridge; it was a different experience to walk across it, swinging lightly as we walked along with local people. I feel it's a great combination of nature's wonder and man's creation; a lovely water fall and a beautiful bridge.

People say that Gokak Falls is Niagara Falls of India. While Niagara Falls is U-shaped, Gokak Falls is almost straight. Sizes are incomparable. The only common feature is both waterfalls are sheer drops.

We got off from the bridge and went down to the riverbed which is a massive bed of rocks. It was scary to stand on the smooth rocks and look over the edge.

There are plenty of cotton gins on this hill and cricketer Sunil Gavaskar’s father used to be an employee of one of the mills here.

The visit was a short and sweet one. I think that was the only time Appaji and Deepak visited this place.

PS: I revisited this in Sept 2010 with a colleague. The places we saw that day were Belavadi, Sogal Kshetra, Gokak Waterfall and Sirsangi.

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Volvo FH12 and MAN Tractors

I'm an admirer of big machinery, mobile or stationary. Even as a kid I would be captivated by trucks, trains, planes, industrial machines and what not. On the road I would look at trucks more than cars. And if the truck was a long one, I mean a trailer with a lot of tires I would forget everything else. They are beautiful sight to look at; either parked or while they crawl or cruise on a highway.

The first time I saw a Volvo on road was in the year 2000 on NH4 near Chitradurga. It was an handsome looking machine, nothing like I'd seen earlier. We stopped by to see it closely. Many years later, I got a chance to visit Volvo factory at Hoskote near Bangalore… not once but many times and an opportunity to work with the engineers there. I also got an opportunity to see a fleet of Volvo tipper in action at a coal mine in Ramagundam area. This tractor is Volvo FH12, FH12 means high cabin, 12 liter engine.

During the same journey, on the same stretch, some-where near Hiriyur, we saw two MAN tractors. These tractors looked like ancient warriors compared to the FH12.

These powerful tractors were towing 16-axle (8 wheels in each axle) trailers loaded with massive transformers weighing close 100 tonnes, more or less. The average speed at which they travel could be 10kmph. They are led by scouts on bikes and trailed by an escort car. These things don't cruise, they crawl.
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Bathi Hill

Davangere’s my father's home town. This house was built by my grandfather in the early 1960s. Now, the house is not there, I mean it was demolished couple of years since I shot this picture.

This is Sri Revana Siddeshwara Devastana, also called Bathi Siddappa Gudi since it's situated on Bathi Gudda. This picture was shot in 1995, before the temple's renovation.

The temple is located half-way up Bathi hill. At the hill's base is the village of the same name. This place is about 6km from Davangere on the way to Harihar. Davangere & Harihar can be called as twin cities with just 12km separating them. The hill offers a nice view of the surrounding mostly flat terrain. Green fields, few ponds and lakes and more hills in the distance. Evenings are good time to spend there; enjoy cool breeze and sunsets.

Below photo was shot during the renovation, probably early 2000s.

During one of the earlier visits when I was about 6 or 7 years old, Appaji, Dipi and I had walked half way around the hill to a cave. It's a small cave, seemed like naturally formed, at the same elevation as the Siddappa Gudi. On the way, I remember Appaji telling us that a lion lived in the cave when asked if any animal lived there. That was the first time I ever saw a cave. During another visit with a group of relatives, we went up the hill beyond the temple. The upper part of the hill is ragged with a lot of outcrops, making the climb unsafe. We weren't dressed for that kind of an adventure. We gave up after a 15 minute climb and returned to the temple.

Here's a short video of the temple shot in March 2013 and the link to the blog post published in 2019 - Doddabathi Revana Siddeshwara Gudi.

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The Power of Dreams

I love this song!



To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know
If I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
To reach the unreachable star!

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bicycle ride to Bannerghatta

May or June 1984

Skanda, C V Nagendra, and I planned a trip to Bannerghatta, a 44 km ride, in the first week of our summer vacations. This would be our first trip outside Bangalore on our own.

I had an Olive Green colored Humber bicycle and my friends had their Atlas and Hero bicycles. We planned a great deal and worried what we would do if we got a flat tire or a brake failure as they were a big problem!

We packed bread, home-made tomato jam and water in glass bottles. We left early, riding leisurely occasionally stopped by to catch our breath. Beyond the city limits, road was flanked by woods. It was peaceful and the air was fresh. The peace was occasionally disturbed by dark smoke bellowing buses and, trucks laden with sand, granite or bricks. We reached Bannerghatta by 10 or 10-30 AM. First thing we did was to park he bicycles and eat breakfast. Then we spent time looking around the zoo and then we left to the small granite hill near-by. We explored the small granite hill near by with an ancient temple (Champakadhama Devastana) at the base (this was my second visit). By 3 or 3-30 we decided to head back home. We reached home safely and without a flat tyre... not really an adventurous trip.

Looking at the traffic now on the same stretch of road, it’s a complete contrast. The green jungle is concrete jungle, peaceful ambiance has been replaced by chaos & noise and the air laden with dust & smoke. How man destroys tranquility in the name of development!

In the summer of 1986, a week or two after PUC-1 exam, another friend and I did Bangalore-Mysuru-Bangalore on our sports bicycles!

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