Antargange, Kolar

Having lived in Bangalore for a good part of my life and having passed through Kolar several times, I had not seen the ancient temples of Kolar. I heard of the temples, few years ago and decided to visit them. The day finally arrived.

September 20, 2019
Agenda for the day was to see Kolaramma and Someshwara temples. We left home around 5-45, the road was good but our journey was delayed slightly for want of fuel and ATM. We reached Kolar by 7-30. We decided to have breakfast and then start the tour. We found a street vendor serving fresh idli and dosa close to the town bus-stand. Breakfast was good. As I inquired directions for the temple, the vendor suggested us to visit Antara Gange first and then see the temples in the city. The plan made sense, so we took the road which was quite narrow, passed through localities which had rural feel. Minutes later we were out of the town, heading towards a mini hill range covered with woods and rock formations. The short drive ended at the base of a hill where an arch beckoned visitors to the holy place of Anatara Gange. Besides the arch, our welcome included a group of monkeys, had to alert.. As you see the steps disappeared into the woods, we had no clue how far the spot was. An elderly woman said its a 10 minute walk.

Our trek began, the sides of the path is fenced to keep away people. The path was almost straight but climbing all the way. Two men passed by us, looked they were here for morning walk.

Our destination is up there, at the end of the steps. The place had a serene ambiance. I was hoping to see or hear birds, no such thing. The place was really silent.

Just before the destination, on the left side was this temple. Seems like Kartikeya temple, because of the peacock idol on a pedestal in front of the temple (see inset). An elderly woman with a walking stick was the only other person here.

The last flight of steps to the spot. A number of boards planted by the forest department carried information about wildlife on this hill.. butterflies, birds, and few mammals as well.

Half way up the flight of steps, on the left hand side was this ancient mantapa, probably made for travelers visiting this place or this shelter might have been used for cooking during fairs or festivals.

So this is Anatra Gange, the historic temple complex with a natural source of water. The fresh water emerging from ground collects into the stepped tank. The water in the tank is clear but the tank floor is green with algae. Minutes after we reached a group of three came with plastic cans. They went into one of the mantapas seen here and came out with filled up cans. We learned that people from Kolar and nearby village believe this water has medicinal properties, hence they take it home and consume it regularly. In fact, rain water accumulated in the soil, held by plant roots, is slowly released which picks up minerals as it flows down. The water is naturally beneficial for lives. This is something which our ancient people knew and respected such valuable sources of water and built shrines next to them.

Inside the smaller mantapa on the left is an idol of Ganesha and under the larger mantapa is where the water drops out in steady trickles. In the background, is a temple dedicated to Kashi Vishwanatha.

A lovely little idol of Nandi.

This is the Kashi Vishwanatha Devasthana, the entrance is manned by a pair of painted Dwarapalas. The deity is a form of Lord Shiva. The platform in the foreground has another Nandi and a Stambha. By now we had seen a dozen monkeys, quite a few were young, like teenage human beings.

Besides the temple is a mantapa, an open hall for conducting rituals. There was just one priest in sight, he did his best to keep the place clean.

Inside the open Mantapa is another Mantapa with a platform. I guess this is used for weddings and other important events.

The short flight of steps leading up to the temple floor is flanked by a pair of stone elephants which seem to be Hoysala style. In the middle is a row of idols at the floor level depicting mostly female characters.

The idols must the Saptamatrikas, not too sure. the orange painted cuboid structure in the background is a shrine dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

A pair of monkeys create an ausing scene by placing their tails across one of the idols.

A monkey couple. The male is grooming the female. Their hair style is something I wonder at. They look as though the hair has been cut.

We spent about 30 minutes and left. On the way down, I noticed a hairy caterpillar crawling on a barb wire. In north Karntaka its called Kamleehula. They are usually seen during rainy seasons, they are cling on to walls and ceilings. If they come in contact with skin, it can get very itchy.

In these woods, we could see a number of Seetaphal ~ custard apple trees with tiny fruits yet to ripe. A group of people has just started their climb as we came down. One of the ladies of the group had a plastic bag filled with biscuits packets, a monkey had grabbed it and being very selfish, not letting any other monkey take anything.

Done with Antaragange, we headed back to Kolar town.
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