Sri Guru Madiwaleshwara Matha, Wakkunda

Sri Guru Madiwaleshwara is a 19th Century Lingayath saint who setup his first monastery on the bank of a stream near Garag village. Madiwaleshwar's disciples built temples and setup more monasteries in his honor at other places like Nichanki near Kittur and Vakkund village on river Malaprabha bank near Bailhongal.

Feb 16, 2022

The discovery of monastery of Madiwaleshwara was a surprise. I had come to Vakkund to see the XII Century temples situated on a mound on the left bank of river Malaprabha. Madiwaleshwara Matha was on the way to the ancient temple from the village. I parked my car at the monastery and walked rest of the way to the river. The mound was an island hence I couldn't make it to the temple. I took a few pictures of the island and returned. The poojari had completed the morning rituals and left, probably the temple would be open again in the evening for a few hours.

The Matha is surrounded by sugarcane fields, the ambiance is nice. The monastery seems to have the basic facilities like a kitchen, store room, courtyard and rooms for guests. However, there's no Swami as such. The monastery is well maintained, very neat and tidy.

This is the temple within the monastery. The framed picture at the top is Guru Madiwaleshwara's. As per his biography, Madiwaleshwara's roots are connected to Mallasarja Desai of Kittur. Madiwaleshwara is said to have traveled well including a trip to Nepal where he was a guest at the royal palace. Also he was a contemporary of Shishunala Sharif and Nagalinga Swamy of Navalgund.

The water level around the mound will recede in a few weeks. I've planned to visit Vakkund again, probably last week March or first week April.
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Ramlingeshwara Devastana, Bailhongala

Feb 16, 2022

The target of the day was Jaina temples of Vakkunda. I had reached Vakkunda by 8-15, parked my car at Madiwaleshwara Matha and walked towards the temples which are situated on a mound. However the mound was an island, it was surrounded by waters of river Malaprabha. Local people told me that coracles were available, the boatman needs to be found. I thanked them, not to take trouble, I can always come back after a month or two by when water level would have fallen, exposing the ground around the mound. I spent a while taking pictures of the island and the temples with my telephoto lens. It would've been interesting to go there while it was an island but no saying how long it take to find the boatman. Also the coracles weren't to be seen on the shore. Better to wait a few weeks and return. With that I left Vakkund and headed towards Bailhongal, mentally planning to see Rani Chennamma's tomb and Kalgudi.

Bailhongala was an important place in the XIX Century. During Rani Chennamma's time, it was under British control. In the battle of Oct 1824 between the armies of Kittur and British, Kittur army was defeated, Rani Chennamma was captured and imprisoned at Bailhongal fort, where she died in Feb 1829. Her mortal remains were buried at Bailhongal which is her memorial now.

I reached Chennamma's tomb around 9-30 AM. The memorial garden was undergoing major renovation work, it looked like a construction site. I took a look from outside and decided to skip it and come again when I come to Vakkund. I move on to Ramlingeshwar Devastana which is five minutes walk away.

The temple is said to be built originally by the Kadambas and renovated by the Chalukyas, probably during the X or XI Centuries. The temple has lost its original looks when it is altered in the process of repairs in recent times. The east-facing temple has three entrances- one each on its eastern, northern and southern sides. The main entrance i.e. the eastern one has semicircular steps. Normally Chalukyan temples have rectangular steps flanked by balustrades.

This is the southern side. The steps at the entrance are rectangular. It looks like the steps originally had balustrades, now they are bare. Despite the alterations, the temple is well maintained. 

Moving to the rear of the temple. Thankfully the walls are still in original look. The rear most section is the Garbhagudi, the midsection is the Antharala and the front section is the Sabhamantapa. The temple's Shikhara is missing... unsure if the Shikhara was built at all.

Moving on to the northern side. On this side are two big slabs with Kannada inscriptions of Ratta dynasty dated 1086 CE.

The inscription slabs have been enclosed to protect it from rainwater, dust and vandals. Good work by whoever initiated it.

This is the best picture I could manage in the bright sunshine.

Sculpture of a tortoise in front of the main entrance.

This is the Sabhamantapa or Rangamantapa. The original pillars and beams have been retained. The roof and floor are concrete, cement and tiles. The pillars have been oil painted, that too a thick layer blurring the details of the pillars. Had there been any inscription on the pillars, the etchings would be filled up smoothly.

The temple see a constant flow of visitors through out the day, I think. A lady was attending to the visitors, offering them teertha & prasada. The lady said her family has been taking care of this temple for the past few decades.

It looks like the temple receives good financial support from the town's people. A heartfelt thanks to the supporters.

All around the Sabhamantapa is the Sukhanasi. The top slabs of the seating platform are original slabs.

This pillared hall can accommodate 70 to 80 people comfortably on the floor and another 20 on the platform. In the medieval times, meetings used to be held in temples. And temple was a place which pulled in cosmic energy which had a positive effect on a people seated inside. Probably the idea behind temple as a meeting venue was to have sound minds taking appropriate decisions.

A close look at one of the pillars. Such beautiful art covered in layers of paint. No! I told the lady that stones shouldn't be coated in lime or paint because of the adverse effect. Now. not much can be done. Try to remove the paint might damage the stone further.

On the seating platform, close to the southern entrance was this etching of traditional game called Huli-Mane which means home of the tiger. The game is played between two people, one representing the tiger and the other sheep. The objective of the tiger is to eat up the sheep and that of the sheep to escape. Etching of this grid can be seen in many temples and forts. Must've been a very popular game in those days.

I say Namaskara to the lady and leave. Back in the car, I was contemplating my next destination... any other nearby place or home. Home it would be. At Belawadi, I opted to take Uppinbetageri-Yadwad-Dharwad road. The route didn't have much traffic, probably I'll come cycling here one of the days.

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Gopalaswamy Honda, Chitradurga Kote

Chitradurga fort was one of the most formidable forts in southern India. The fort's seven tiers encapsulated an entire city. To my knowledge, the outer tiers were occupied by civilians and the core was reserved for the king's family and administrative & military personal. The crucial aspects of the kingdom like the treasury, arsenal, granaries and other essential needs were housed in the core. Of the essential items water is an important item. Chitradurga fort has several water tanks and wells, the largest waterbodies being Gopalaswamy Honda and Akka-Tangi Honda. Once can still see canal systems to direct rainwater to the tanks. Also, a stream flowed behind the fort i.e. on the western side. In fact the stream flows below a complex of rocks adjacent to the walls. The secret passage 'Obavvana Kindi' which is on the western side is right next to the stream. I think a few of the military personal were allowed to use the stream including Obavva's family.

Of all the water tanks, Gopalaswamy Honda is the largest. Its not a natural waterbody i.e. its a manmade one, its a mini reservoir nestled in a valley. A 45 meters long stone wall across the valley is the dam blocks the flow of rainwater in the valley creating a reservoir which is 50m at its widest point and 140m at its longest point. As to the depth it could be 10 to 12 feet in the middle.

The 1975 Kannada cinema Hamsageethe was shot in and around Chitradurga fort. A few scenes of were shot at Gopalaswamy Honda. The water tank is truly scenic, it has a special character to it.

The water tank gets its name from the neighboring Sri Gopalaswamy Devastana. The temple structure is quire simple, rectangular in plan. The temple site is situated on a gradient but the builders have created a level site with retaining walls. The temple must've been an important shrine given the effort behind its construction. Coming to think of it, I have a feeling the temple and water tank was one massive project. As per our traditions, a temple must have a source of fresh water nearby. This site was perfect for a temple and a water tank. High up behind Gopalaswamy temple is a massive rick formation with a standing rock- that spot too is an important shooting location for Hamsa Geethe. Since the lead character of the story happens to spend lot of time there, the stone is named after him- Venkatasubbayana Kallu.

This wall is the southeastern end of the tank. In the background are the ruins of a royal palace. The ruins are spread over a large area, perhaps it should be called a palace complex. Higher up in the background, is the highest point of Chitradurga fort.

This tank once filled could serve the needs for a year or year and half. I'm trying to visualize a scene during Madakari Nayaka's time... soldiers and temple priest bathing side by side and chatting about the siege... wishing it ends for their own good. On the southeastern end is a platform to draw water from the tank.

The corner is where palace attendants would draw up water since that's the closest to the palace complex. The palace complex is situated in such a place that its neither too low nor too high. It has a decent view of the surroundings yet not very conspicuous.

The water-drawing platform. Ancient builders sense of quality was pretty consistent. The rampart walls and this platform walls have the same look and build quality.

The northwatern end of the water tank. That straight wall is the dam which holds this water from flowing down the valley. I guess there's a gate system on the left hand side to let out water which also worked as an overflow system.

There's one arrangement to draw up water in the middle of the wall. I guess there was another one at this end of the wall as well.

As mentioned earlier, on the left hand side of the picture is a canal system to let out water. Or the overflow system.

This picture was shot from the open space in front of Gopalaswamy Devastana. The palace complex had a nice view of the temple. The soft light of early morning sun would light up the temple... what a sight that would be.

From the water tank, I climbed up to see Venkatasubbayana Kallu. On the way I happened to notice this row of granite slabs which happen to cover the canal system to control the flow of rainwater. The canal connects to the water tank.

This is a view of Gopalaswamy temple and a bastion beside it. A temple being a meeting place and also storage place of valuables like gold & silver needed security, hence the bastion where guards could keep vigil.

This picture was shot from a spot close to the passage leading up Venkatasubbayana Kallu. The rock hill on the other side of the tank is where Tuppada Kola is situated. To reach the top, one has to negotiate a steep face. Despite the foot-steps the climb looks daunting, I've never attempted it.

This is the passage connecting to the open yard of Venkatasubbayana Kallu. There are limitations to capturing the intricacies of the place, be it with pictures or words. Once must go and check out the place with own eyes.

Finally, this picture of the fort core was shot from a spot close the highest point of Chitradurga fort. The green surface of Gopalaswamy Honda is visible clearly.

If you ever plan a visit to Chitradurga Kote, do a thorough research, mark the places of your interest and see that the tour starts as soon as the fort is open for public. To tour the fort thoroughly, my estimate is 2 days. Every minute would be worth it and you would still want to come for another tour. Such is the power of Chitradurga.

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a journey around Karnataka

Cinemas have influenced a part of my life. Right from childhood days I liked realistic stories, the types which you feel could happen or have happened for real. Such movies had a certain quality in terms of location, direction, acting and what not. Some of my favorite movies are- Ondanondu Kaaladalli, Baraa, Hamsa Geete, and Minchina Ota. I saw these movies during school & college days, on TV. Each one them had a lasting effect, they stayed fresh in my memory. Hamsa Geete was shot in & around Chitradurga fort. Baraa was shot in and around Bidar, a few shots were within the fort. By the end of the movie, a wish to see Bidar fort formed in my mind.

In 1991, I completed engineering and started working with my father in the electronic weighing systems business. In 1994 I got a Hero Honda Splendor, a 100cc four-stroke bike. The engine felt smooth, exhaust note was a mild thump and fuel consumption was a frugal as it could get. Even in city conditions my Splendor ran 70 km per liter. It was one product which lived up to its tag line- fill it, shut it, forget it.

During the first few years of my working life, I went on short trips with my friends. Savandurga and Shivagange had been our favorite destinations. Of all my friends, my trips were mostly with Anish, Gulli and my brother. Before I got my Splendor, I had been on long distance rides on my Kinetic Honda. Some of the longer trips on both bikes are-

• Bangalore - Halebid - Belur - Chikamagalur - Kemmangundi - Hassan - Bangalore
• Bangalore - Dharmastala - Kollur - Mangalore - Kannur - Mysore - Bangalore
• Bangalore - Madanapalli - Horsely Hills - Chintamani - Bangalore
• Bangalore - Shravanabelagola - Bangalore

In 1995 the idea of riding to Bidar formed. Gulli and I discussed it a few times and planned a trip in October 1995. Sometime September 1995, while running around on office work, while riding my Kinetic Honda I brushed against a mini truck locking the front brakes which tossed me & my bike into the air. The accident left my right hand and arm injured, had to undergo surgery under anesthesia  to stitch up the wounds. The trip was postponed until my hand healed completely. Months went by, my hand was close to normal. In January 1995 we revived our plan and froze the trip dates. It would be a two week trip starting third week February. The tentative route was- Bangalore - Hospete - Hampi - Bijapur - Bidar - Bijapur - Dharwad - Goa - Mangalore - Bangalore. I can't recall the exact dates, I think we started just before a weekend.

Gulli and I were all set. Our things stuffed into two backpacks, helmets, a camera and a foot pump in case of a flat tire.

Day 1: We left home early morning, air was chilly on Bangalore-Tumkur highway. We stopped at Ravi Idli Hotel for breakfast and continued our journey. The landscape was familiar.. lot of coconut plantations on this stretch. Though a two lane highway, we never felt unsafe. We rode between 50 and 60 kmph, sometimes going up to 70 while overtaking. At Chitradurga we left NH4 and entered NH13. Here we saw a different landscape... barren land as far as the eyes could see. The road was something to remember... the edges of the lane road were badly eaten away, huge potholes lined the edges. Overtaking trucks & busses was almost impossible until another truck or bus came in the opposite direction. Both drivers had to literally stop, get off the road to pass each other. Before the vehicle got back on the road completely was our opportunity to overtake! We stopped at one of the dhabas for lunch. Gulli was baffled seeing a truck driver drink coconut oil just before starting his lunch. My guess was that coconut oil worked like a laxative. Drivers life is tough, 8 to 10 hours at the wheel, its almost sedentary.

We continued our journey, the road was better as we neared Hospete. About 25 km before Hospete, we happened to notice an ancient temple off the highway. It was a Vijayanagara period temple. The temple had a large pillared hall. Each of the pillar's four faces carried motifs of some animal or bird or a human or some imaginary creature. We must've spent 30 minutes at the temple before resuming our journey.
We reached Hospete late afternoon, we checked into a room at KSTDC Hotel close to TB Dam gate. We went up a hill to get a view of Tungabhadra dam and reservoir. A peaceful place it was. I'm not sure if we went to see the musical fountain at the dam gardens, its a popular spot for local people. 
This is a trace of our route on Google Maps. Had Google Maps been available, our trip might have been a month long, or two month long. Back then, our source of info was TV & print media, brochures from KSTDC and maps. Anyway, it was a different life back then.

2500 km in 13 days on a Hero Honda Splendor 

Day 2: Gulli and I headed to Hampi. We started the tour from Sasivekalu & Kadlekaalu Ganapati and then went to Virupaksha Devastana. I remember buying a brass bell from one of the cart vendors. From Virupaksha we walked along the river to Chakrateertha and Sugreeva cave. I think we climbed the Matanga Gudda.

Virupaksha Devastana | Two-storied gateway
Anjanadri Betta & Tungabhadra at Hampi

We rode around covering Lakshmi Narasimha, Badavi Linga, the underground temple, Hazara Rama, Zenana Enclosure, elephant stables, Mahanavami Dibba, the stepped well, and Vittala Devastana, At Vittala temple, we engaged a guide who played the musical pillars while we listened to the tune with our ears pressed on to the pillars. After the tour, we invited the guide with us for refreshments. We sat under a Neem tree eating banana, a monkey appeared, our guide shared a banana with the monkey. I felt a few monkeys trusted the kind man and ate what he gave. We saw a few other monuments before winding up for the day. We retired early since we had to wake up early the next morning.

Lakshmi-Narasimha | Achutaraya Devastana
Stepped tank of Hampi

Day 3: We left Hospete around 4-30 am. Morning air was chilly and misty. As usual I rode between 50 and 60 kmph. By 7-45 we were at Hunagund where we stopped for breakfast. I think the eatery owner suggested us to visit Aihole and Pattadakal since they were just 22 and 44 km away. We had time on our side, so it was a yes. Pattadakal is easy to cover since we got to see the temples in one complex. However monuments of Aihole are scattered. At Aihole we engaged the services of a guide who showed us Durga temple complex, Ravalapadi and the Buddhist Chaitya. Now I feel we should've stayed at Aihole for a day or two, finding a host wouldn't have been an issue. The person in white shirt was our guide, a very humble, polite and friendly person he was.

Ravalapadi, Aihole | Someshwara Devastana, Pattadakal
Ravalapadi | Buddhist Chaitya, Aihole

After Pattadakal and Aihole we headed back to Hunagund. We picked out backpacks from the eatery and continued our journey towards Bijapur. By 1-30 we were at Kudala Sangama cross where we stopped for lunch. We found a khanawali offering home made jolada rotti oota. Without a second thought we were for it. The most memorable item was curds served in mud pot. Never before had I tasted curd so fresh and creamy. Same with Gulli. We continued our journey, reached Bijapur by 4-30 or so. We checked into a hotel, freshened up and headed out to meet a relative and then check our a few monuments. I think we saw Bara Kaman and Upli Burj.

Day 4: We reached Gol Gumbaz at 6-00 am. We were the only tourists. We engaged a guide who explained the marvels of Gol Gumbaz's circular hall & the dome's architecture. Just the three of us in the 100' tall edifice. Only the guide was speaking and we listened and nodded our heads. The demo included tearing a piece of paper while we stood diametrically opposite. We heard the raspy sound as though the paper was torn next to our ears. Then the guide struck a match, rubbed his palms ...same effect. As per our guide, the king held meetings with emissaries in this hall. The catch was that anything the emissary group whispered among themselves could be heard clearly across the hall. They had no privacy, unless they managed to have the meeting adjourned and changed the meeting venue. Gol Gumbaz architecture is truly amazing! The rest of the day we spent checking out Ibrahim Rouza, Malik-e-Maidan and other monuments. During the trip no one mentioned the baobab tree. Sad we missed it then and also during my subsequent visits, until I got to know the tree ceased to exist.
Bidar was next on our list. Our plan was to reach Bidar via Gulbarga. When we mentioned this to our relative, we learned that the Bijapur-Gulbarga-Bidar highway was in bad conditions. We were suggested an alternate route Bijapur-Solapur-Bidar. Surely locals know the road conditions, we planned to go via Solapur.

the arcs of Bara Kaman | village kids near Naldurg
Malik-e-Maidan Tope | Naldurg profile across the valley

Day 5: As usual we started the journey at dawn. The two-lane highway was in good condition, almost flat and lot of straight line stretches. I think we stopped once for breakfast on the outskirts of a town. Riding through Solapur was easy, not much traffic. It was said that Solapur had more Kannada speaking population than Marathi. At Solapur entered NH65 i.e. Pune-Machalipatnam highway, we were to drive till Humnabad, then take Humnabad-Bidar road. Now the terrain was different, we had plenty of curves, ups & downs. On this route is a very important fort called Naldurg, the highway passes right in front of the dark colored rampart walls and couple of bastions. Somehow, we did not think of venturing into the fort. Naldurg is situated on the edge of a valley as you see in the picture above. It was around 4 PM when we reached Bidar, where we checked into a hotel called Bidar International, it was located in an extension area. We had travelled 900 km and reached the northern most district HQ of Karnataka state. 
The remaining of the day we visited Papnashi Devastana and Gurudwara.

Day 6: We started the day at Bidar fort. The fort is vast, its perimeter is around 4 km. Its gateways, spiked doors, walls & trenches are sights to behold. We parked the Splendor near the museum which is opposite Rangeen Mahal ~ the colorful palace. Rangeen Mahal is out of bounds for regular tourists. It so happened that a government official was here to see the fort, the caretaker was unlocking the palace door for him. We were there at the right moment, the caretaker let us take a look at the Mahal. The artwork is a marvelous creation of gold paint & pearly stuff, naturally its a delicate artifact, hence the restriction.

First we explored the labyrinth of passages, stairways, chambers and halls around the inner gateway. BTW, the main entrance has an outer gateway and am inner gateway. Each of the gateways has twin double doors enclosing a domed space between them. The purpose of twin door sets is to trap enemies in case of an attack. The maze of passages are confusing, its a play of light & shadow in there, only the familiar can find their way. Strangers can get lost hopelessly. One could take a thousand pictures and still yearn for more. After the gateways, we checked out the massive military barracks and dungeons. We climbed up the structures and peeped in through the light hole. The roof was 20' high and the floor was 10' below the ground. Each of the chambers was 30' x 30' approx. There were canons lying on the floors. There were a dozen such chambers in two rows. Close by was a staircase leading to some underground passage but the passage was barred. I believe there's an underground system of halls & passages for emergencies.

Next we went to the Solah Kambh Masjid enclosure. The most fascinating item in the enclosure was the floral art water fountain pond. On one of the enclosure was elaborately engineered slopes & canals systems of a water garden. The caretaker told that water flowed in such a way it made soothing sounds and cooled the nearby area. Within this fort there are three or four palaces. The caretaker suggested us to check out the massive canon. Never before had I seen such a huge canon- 4' diameter x 16' long x 15" bore. I heard the projectile fired from this canon would land 4 km away. Highly destructive thing this is!  

the inner gateway, ramparts & moat of Bidar fort
Solah Kambh Masjid | Badi Tope

Within the fort are two settlements and a big rainwater pond. The settlements deeper in the fort is close to the pond,, also there are farmlands around it. We rode to this place, it had a temple which seemed important to local people. A break from sunshine was much needed and this place had sufficient shade. Gulli drew water from an open which amused a few kids hanging around. We washed our arms and faces, it was refreshing. We rested a while and then went back to the fort center to check out ruins of an incomplete palace which overlooked the settlement, pond & fields. The foundation part was done with pillar bases in position. The top of the bases had crosshair marks at the center with which the engineers aligned the pillars. It's always interesting to see partially constructed ancient structures- gives an idea of building techniques. With this we called it a tour and headed out of the fort.

Next on the agenda was Madrasa of Md Gawan and  Bahamani tombs at Astur. The Madrasa is situated in the dense old town, the lanes were quite narrow. The madrasa's terracotta walls & pillars tower over the surrounding two or three floor structures. The façade is decorated with colorful tiles giving it an unique look. One of the walls which has collapsed long time back has exposed a pillar which is about 80' high. Its a tapering pillar, a telescopic one. Entry inside the madrasa was not allowed. Next we head towards Astur village which is about 6 km away.

There are a dozen tombs at Astur, of them four are massive and rest of assorted sizes. Of the massive ones, three are well preserved while one of the tomb's dome has collapsed, only a third of the dome remains now. Of all the tombs, only one of open to public. That's where we parked out bike under one of the many big trees, plenty of shade, very cool and a peaceful ambiance. Besides Gulli and I there were two other visitors. One of the men told me that he and his friend come here whenever they had something important to discuss about. Indeed, one can think better in a peaceful place as this. We checked out the tomb interior which is decorated with rich designs painted in gold and other colors. The dargah caretaker lit a spot in the dome by reflecting sunlight with a mirror. Apparently a diamond is embedded into the dome at that spot. We must've spent an hour at the necropolis before riding back to Bidar.

Rangeen Mahal | hamlet inside Bidar fort
new found friends at Papnashi temple complex

A long time wish of seeing Bidar finally fulfilled. We were at the farthest point of our trip, the return trip will begin now. Around 4-30 or so we left Bidar and reached Basava Kalyan by sunset. Kalyana, once an important city, the capital of Chalukyas, the capital from where Basavaveshwara governed King Bijjala's kingdom, was nothing more than a dusty little town. Despite the formidable fort, a temple dedicated to Basavanna, Anubhava Mantapa, the ancient caves of Shivasharana being in and around the town, it was hardly known in the southern part of Karnataka. We checked into a small lodge situated around the town square. The room was a scary sight... stained walls, dirty beds, huge lizards on the walls! We didn't have other options, decided to somehow manage until dawn and we'll be out anyway. Luckily we had our own bedsheets, one little consolation.

Day 7: We woke up at 4 AM, bathed and packed up our bags. While it was still dark, we went to Basaveshwara Devastana. Morning pooja was in progress, we had a good darshan. I think the poojari asked us to visit Anubhava Mantapa which was couple of kilometers outside the town. On the way we stopped at a Kabbina Gana (jaggery mill). Sugarcane juice was being extracted and we got a chance to taste fresh cool juice. We thanked the team leader for the treat, took a snap of the team and left. I can't remember much about Anubhava Mantapa. Back at Basava Kalyan, we had breakfast at a eatery near our lodge. The eatery owner asked us to wait until 10 am to see the fort. We decided against that since we had a 300 km journey ahead of us. By 9 am we were back on Kalyana-Solapur highway. Our destination was an aunt's place at Jamkhandi. The journey was relaxed with hardly any traffic. It was around 2-30 when we reached Bijapur, we had lunch at my relative's place and resumed our journey. Bijapur-Jamkhandi highway was not really smooth, the road surface was wavy. Couple of times, Gulli almost flew off the seat, if not for the backpack, he might have. We had to reduce speed because of the surprises. I remember crossing river Krishna, it was flowing despite being close to summer. The river crossing on this highway is something anyone will remember. We reached my aunt's place by 5 pm or so.

Day 8: Jamkhandi, a small town today, was the capital of a Maratha princely state Jamkhandi. It was founded in 1811 and members of Patwardhan dynasty ruled the state. Jamkhandi town is situated close to the base of a hill range. On the slopes of the hill is the palace complex. The complex has a royal garden, a palace, a temple with a kalyani, a theatre, swimming pool, kitchen house, servant quarters, stables, garages... basically everything a palace needs. The most notable thing about the palace is its clock tower. After the British left India in 1947, the kingdom was merged into India. Members of the  royal family shifted to Pune or Mumbai. The palace was vacant but kept in charge of a local family who took care of security. Many parts of the complex were in ruins but interesting nevertheless. Within the complex is Rameshwara Devastana which is quite popular. The most memorable item is a sculpture of a lion. My cousins showed us the palace complex very patiently.

After the tour of the palace complex, we went to the cousin's village Konnur, some 15 to 20 km from Jamkhandi. The most notable historic monument of the village is the Vaade, a fortified house which happened to be my cousin's property. From the village we walked to their farm lands where sugarcane is a major crop. Two interesting things in the fields were- 1. an ancient open will stone walls, steps & arches, and 2. an ancient temple dedicated to Shivalinga probably built during Chalukyan times. I guess Gulli was fascinated with the tour of the village and vaade. So many things were new to him and I was happy to be exposing him to life outside Bangalore.

My cousin's house at Jamkhandi was a wonderful place. The house is situated at the center of the plot with open space on all sides. I absolutely adore that house. One has to be truly lucky to be residing in such a home. Our plan for the morrow was to ride to Dharwad. That afternoon I visited a bike mechanic and got the engine oil replaced.

Day 9: Our journey to Dharwad started early. We went via Mudhol, Lokapur, Ramdurg, Saundatti - which is a KSRTC route. The journey was interesting with views of farm lands, hills and ghat sections. The road actually becomes flat & straight after Saundatti. I think we reached Dharwad by lunch time, we stayed at an uncle's place.

Day 10: Not much of touring on this day except for a visit to Kittur fort. I was more excited about the upcoming journey towards the coastal districts.

Day 11: The journey towards Goa started around 7-30 am. Our route- Dharwad-Alnavar-Ramnagar-Molem-Ponda-Panjim. The road condition was okay, our average speed around 45 kmph. I'm not sure if we stopped to see the churches in Old Goa. Memories of our movement in Goa are sketchy, We checked into a economy lodge in Panjim. The afternoon was spent sightseeing Miramar beach, Dona Paula and few other spots. Dona Paula was the last since we took a picture of the sunset. 

Jaggery mill near Kalyana | St Sebastian's Chapel, Panjim
Miramar beach | Shiva's face at Vagator beach

Day 12: Plan for the day was to explore the beaches of North Goa. I think we started with Sinquerim fort & beach. I remember seeing a puppy asleep in the sand. I tried to wake it up but it was so stubborn it refused to open its eyes. I gave up thinking of the proverb "let sleeping dogs lie." Then we rode up to Calangute and Baga. The sunshine was bright and it wasn't a time to get into water, so we just saw the places and kept moving. The last stop was Vagator beach. We parked the bike, instead of climbing down to the beach we wanted to check out the plateau. The view from the hill was nice since there were slopes on three sides, we could see sea on all three sides. Instead of retracing the path to the parking lot, we decided to take a shortcut. The hill slope towards Vagator beach was covered in jungle and we went in like brave soldiers. The path wasn't really a straight line. We had to avoid thorny bushes and overhanging branches, our arms got scraped. The final bit was really a circus- we had hit a drop of some 15 feet. We were in no mood to climb up and go back to the parking lot. Somehow we found a way by hanging on branches and finally landed on the beach. Along with us came a few red ants. We cleared off the ants from our clothing and rested for a while. We were tired and thirsty. Also, we were sunburnt from all the riding in sunshine. My arms had tanned, the back of my neck, forehead and nose were sunburnt. No pain, No gain, right?

Gulli and I have been into adventures like this earlier as well, like the near vertical ascent at Mekedatu and a very steep descent at Savandurga. Both were scary experiences.

After the tour of beaches we decided to head to Margoa and spend the night there. That evening when we went to a small restaurant for dinner, I bumped into an acquaintance from Bangalore. That was a pleasant surprise. We retired early as usual so that we could start early morning.

Day 13: Our plan was to ride along the coastal line and reach Mangalore by evening. Since we had started early we decided to pay a visit to Gokarna Mahabaleshwara Devastana. The  temple wasn't really crowded, I was happy for that. One thing about this temple I'll always remember is the way the poojaris solicited visitors. They literally latch on to visitors and prod them to perform this it that pooja. The way they extracted dakshina is etched in my memory. Anyway, we could touch the Atmalinga and perform Abhisheka which was a nice experience. From Gokarna, we went further south, stopped at Murudeshwar but didn't go into the temple. I think we stopped at Udupi for refreshments, it was a small eatery which served good idlis. As we rode out of Udupi, we saw a procession. The attraction of the procession was two or three people in costumes depicting hairy demons. Later I learned that the procession was part of Holi celebrations. We were tiring fast because of the coastal heat. We reached Mangalore before sunset, checked into a familiar hotel on Balmatta road. We had dinner at a eatery which served local dishes and hit the sack early.

Day 14: This was the last day of our trip. We had breakfast at Mangalore and started the journey. The sunburns were painful. We rode at our usual pace... passing through Sakaleshpur, Hassan, Channarayapatna, Yediyur, Nelamangala. We were back on the familiar roads of Bangalore. We entered our apartment complex around 4-30 pm or so. Parked the bike, took of our helmets and bags and stretched. Aaah! A long time wish realized.

We had travelled 2500 km! As I remember, we filled petrol just 4 times. Splendor had proved its efficiency with a mileage of 70+ km per liter, one oil change and zero trouble. We, Gulli and I, endured the hectic activity of waking early, getting ready, packing up, riding, sightseeing... The sunburnt forehead, nose, neck and arms took a week or two to heal. Never again did we embark on another road trip as this.

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