Mandaragiri - part 1

Mandaragiri is one of the monoliths dotting the region between Tumkur and Dobbaspete. The hill, though not a very tall one, is visible from Bengaluru-Tumkur highway.  I've seen the hill almost every journey on this road. Its visible even from the railway line. Yet, I hadn't visited it.

June 22, 2021

My journey from Dharwad started early. Destination was Bengaluru. First stop was at Revana Siddeshwara Devastana at Dodda Bathi hill. The second stop was to see the Pillow Lava rocks at the geological heritage site of Maradihalli between Chitradurga and Hiriyur. Few minutes after crossing Sira, I called a friend at Tumkur but there was no response. I wanted to pay a surprise visit but after trying to reach the friend in other ways did not work. As I approached Tumkur, I gave up on the plan and decided to go to Bangalore. After Kyatsandra, on the left hand side, Mandaragiri hill comes into view... let me see the hill today! Seconds later the arch of Mandaragiri was visible, that was the spot to leave the highway to go to the hill. The road cuts across a railway line, goes through a village, winds a bit for a kilometer and then goes through open land.

 

With hardly any people around, the place had a peaceful feeling. There were some huge boulders standing on open land, and on the other side of the road was a group of small buildings. One of the buildings was unique, shaped like an inverted funnel. Decided to check that out later. Then there was a toll gate. The gatekeeper charged ₹40 to enter the premises. I find a spot to park my car and take a long look at the stairway. Its a short climb, may be 10 minutes to the top.

At present there were five other people climbing up. The slope is not steep, so the steps are low, easy to climb.

A few seconds break. The view is interesting.

As expected the climb lasted less than 10 minutes. However people who started climbing ahead of me were still halfway up. The horizon is ragged.. plenty of hills scattered on the plains. On the left hand side of the horizon is a well shaped peak... that's granite hill called Shivagange.

I wasn't carrying the DSLRs, here's a not so bad picture from my Moto Z. As you see Shivagange is shaped like a Shivalinga. The monolithic rock hill looks like a sleeping bull from the other side.

Back to Mandaragiri, atop the hill is a walled enclosure with four or five ancient shrines. The simple ancient shrine is now undergoing expansion. A concrete platform has been constructed which sits a circular platform. At the center of the circular platform a sculpture is taking shape.

I took a peek into the scaffolding, the sculpture seems to be a tree with lot of branches. Well, we'll have to wait until the scaffolding is removed to know what would be standing there.

This is the entrance to the enclosure. I'm guessing the shrines are accessible to Jains alone, for carrying out their rituals or to make offerings. The enclosure is quite secure with chain-link fence on top of the wall.. may be its needed since this site is remote.

A modern building stands at one corner of the enclosure. Probably its an office or a hall for pilgrims to rest. May be there's a kitchen as well. A footpath runs along the wall to the other side of the hill. Would be interesting since there's a lake behind the hill.

A little pond on the side, definitely an ancient one to harvest rainwater. Notice the boulder with tiger painting? In the background are hills with wounds caused by quarrying activities. Granite business seriously affects out landscape and environment as well. Major changes in the terrain disrupts rainwater flow, probably cutting off supplies to ponds or lakes or even rivers.

This is the northern side of the enclosure. Probably there was another gate here which is being renovated with a Gopura. Since most temples face either north or east, this could be the main entrance of the enclosure.

Close to the pond is another boulder which seems like a teardrop from this side. It has a flat face on the left hand side, very convenient to paint pictures on it.

The boulder's other end. From here it looks like a skewed cone.

A finely sculpted pillar caught my attention. Its a very handsome piece of artwork. It could be a of some incomplete structure or it could be simple discarded for some reason. In the background, is a boulder, a mantapa, a rocky mound and waters of a lovely lake... a very interesting scene,

I turn a bit keeping the pillar in view. There's another on the right. Two mounds forming a cleft between them.. this place would be magical during rains, sunrises, sunsets and full moon nights.

I turn some more. The base of the pillar is designed to fit into a socket... ancient self aligning and locking designs. This could be made anytime from Hoysala's time to post Vijayanagara times. On the ground are sings of light quarrying activity, probably to reduce the slope of the hill to make it convenient for pilgrims to climb, especially in wet conditions.

Last of the series is a view of the enclosure and the boulder. Its because of our ancient shrines hills have survived modern times. Any hill without a shrine is an easy target for mining or quarry companies. Its my thought that many of our superstitions were made to protect Nature's creations like trees, or lakes or hills or even rivers and seas. However, in the name of science, every superstition was made to foolish or evil. One need to really think deeper while dealing with matters connected to ancient people.

This is the scene I loved most. A rainwater harvesting pond, the hills, Mydala Kere waters, and the jagged horizon formed by the hills of Devarayana Durga. I stood here for a minute captivated by the scene. An ideal place for a spiritual center.

I'll continue the article in Mandaaragiri part-2 where we see few more scene of the lake, a sculpture on a boulder, and a mantapa.

.........