Mandaaragiri - part 2

...continued from Mandaaragiri - part 1.

In the first part, the stairway on the southern face of Mandaragiri was covered. Also the exterior of the temple enclosure at the hill top, a pond and few natural boulders. The hill has a nice view of the man made lake called Mydala Kere adjoining the hill. Now we move on to the second pond for harvesting rainwater. Across the pond is an open temple with its deity sculpted on the boulder. A very unique temple this is. May be, instead of temple, I should call it a Mantapa.

The almost placid water surface creates a lovely reflection of the Mantapa. One could sit and stare at this scene as long as the reflection lasts.

The clumps of grass is what caught my attention here. This type of grass is usually seen after rains in rocky hills across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The jigsaw stone is a naturally shattered boulder. This may not be granite, it could be sandstone. This reminds me of the smaller jigsaw at Kumbi Betta near Huliyur Durga,

The temple enclosure as seen from the jigsaw boulder. This is a good place for trekking.. just form your route on the fly.

Panning to the right, the boulder shrine comes into view. The two date palm trees are a nice touch to this scene. Its like adding salt & pepper on your omelet.  Taking about treks, one could actually walk bare foot here.

The stone-water-triangle of Madaragiri and Mydala Kere. Beyond the lake are the hills of Devarayanadurga. The rock formation on the right is marked as Sumitra Betta in Google Maps. I have no idea what's the story behind the name of that mound.

Mydala Kere is a man made reservoir. On the left hand side is the man-made bund (earthen dam) which holds the water. The other shores of the lake are natural slopes.

The bund is clearly visible in this picture. It is about 750 meters long. I'm guessing this reservoir was made any time between Vijayanagara times and British rule. The reservoir, 1.5 km at its widest point and 1.5 km at its longest point, seems three fourths full. With more rains the water level could rise further.

Looking back towards the Jain temple and the boulder.

This is the track which runs around this hill. Those who wish to ride or drive up here have to take the road starting at the arch (near the base of the stairway). After rains the road can be a little rough. But that should be okay for two wheelers and SUVs.

Another interesting rock in the vicinity. The shy palm is hiding behind its friend.

This road might be developed in a few years. I hope its left as it is for the sake of natural beauty.

After a short exploration, I head back towards the temple. One thing remains to be seen is the sculpture on the other face of this rock and, the Mantapa.

The reminder of the article will continue in Mandaaragiri - part 3.

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