Baobab tree of Korlai

Little more than a month after discovering Baobab trees of Vasai, Vijay Menon discovered the Baobab near Korlai fort. The Baobab is situated next to Revdanda-Murud road. Not sure if this the only Baobab here or if it's more than one.

Thanks to Vijay for noticing this living heritage and for sharing its photo.

Here's the list of Baobab trees compiled over a few years of research:

1. Hilltop Nightclub, Vagator, Goa
2. Cabo Raj Bhavan, Dona Paula, Goa
3. Quepem, Goa
4. Bamboo Motels, Goa
5. next to Yogapur mosque, Bijapur
6. Mahalakshmi Gudi premises, Martur, Kalburgi district
7. Dodda Hunashe Matha, Savanur, Karnataka
8. Near the aquarium in Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bengaluru
9. Two Baobab trees at Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashaala, Yadavagiri, Mysuru
10. Purana Qilla, Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana
11. Attapur, Hyderabad
12. Vansthalipuram, Hyderabad, Telangana
13. near Chappel Road, Hyderabad, Telangana
14. Ranganath temple at Nanakramguda, Hyderabad, Telangana
15. Shivalaya on Balachandruni Guttalu, Nalagonda, Telangana
16. Uppal in Chengicherla Reserve Forests, Hyderabad, Telangana
17. Nellore, Andhrapradesh
18. Theosophist Society Gardens, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
19. The American College campus, Madurai, TN
20. Chinmaya Vidyalaya's campus at Ilanthope, Rajapalayam, TN
21. Mangaliawas near Ajmer, Rajasthan
22. Vadodara, Gujarat
23. Dayapur, Gujarat
24. Kutch, Gujarat
25. Bhanagar, Gujarat
26. Baroda, Gujarat
27. Victoria Garden, Sukharamnagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
28. Mulund, Mumbai, Maharashtra
29. Byculla zoo, Mumbai, Maharashtra
30. Close to an entrance of Vasai fort, Maharashtra
31. Tilak road and Ghokale road, Pune, Maharastra
32. near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
33. Nana Fadnavis Wada premises, Menawali, Maharashtra
34. Mandavgad or Mandu, Madhya Pradesh
35. near Sangam, left bank of the Ganga, Prayag, Uttar Pradesh 
36. Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, Bihar

Hoping to discover more.

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Anantashayana and Koshtharaya rock-cut shrine, Badami

At the southeastern end of Bhootnath group is a cave shrine in which have rock-cut relief sculptures, the prominent one being of  Vishnu. Hence this is shrine called Vishnu Gudi. Just above the steps, the small opening between the floor and boulder is the temple entrance. One has to crouch to enter it.

Once inside, adults cannot really remain erect because of the low ceiling. We had to remain bent or had to kneel down. This temple is a combination of rock-cut and structural. Only the side walls have been built hence this is more of a rock-cut shrine. On the center wall is Anantashayana i.e. Vishnu reclining on the seven headed serpent Adishesha.  Vishnu is attended by Sridevi, Bhoodevi and Gaurda. Vishnu's symbols Shankha & Chakra are clearly seen. 

A closer look at Anantashayana. On the arch above are miniature images of Dashavatara i.e. the ten incarnations of Vishnu- Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki.

The side walls are also decorated with relief sculptures. On the left are the Trimurti- Vishnu, Maheshwara & Brahma. On the space below Trimurti are incomplete images of Basavanna and unknown characters. Over the Trimurti is a grand looking Shikhara & Kalasha.

On the right is an interesting image of a seemingly royal couple seated in half-lotus posture. With the couple is a cow & nursing calf. Next to the cow is a plant.. coconut sapling? Then there are two other plants which seem like stalks of food grains. Is this possibly a scene of Sankranti being celebrated. There's another plant behind the cow which seems like a Peepul tree. Would be nice to an expert historians opinion.

Also in this cave shrine was a niche with a circular embossing. Since there's no deity in it, this seems like a nest to place an oil lamp.

A short distance from Vishnu Gudi is another rock shelter called Koshthraya's Cave. On the rear wall is an image of a man seated in half-lotus posture on a lion-throne under a peepul tree. There's a halo around his head. Apparently there are Shankha & Chakra, symbols of Vishnu. Then there is an imaginary creature to the man's left which is usually seen in Jaina images. For example- similar creature can be seen at the rock-cut Jaina Basadi at Aihole. Also there are two attendants both holding fans. He has a sacred thread around his torso. I'm not clear whose image this is.

One of the side walls has this image of a well built man sporting long hair and a well shaped beard.  He's seated in half-lotus position. There's a symbol on his forehead but it isn't clear. Next to him is a staff. Again no idea who this man depicts.

There are several rock shelter shrines on the slopes of Hiregudda, the sandstone hill of Badami. While on this topic I must mention Arali Honda or Aralikatte rock-cut shrine a the edge of the sandstone formation. It's not visible from here. To access it one has to reach the plateau and walk along the edge overlooking Agastyatirtha.

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Rock-cut shrines near Bhootnath temple complex

Right besides Bhootnath temple complex is this huge sandstone boulder on which relief sculptures are present.

On the northern face are four Shivalinga, two of the Shivalinga have their own Nandi.

Closer look at the sculptures. Shivalingas are housed in Garbhagudi, complete with Shikhara.

Another view of the northern face. On the extreme left is an image of four-armed standing Vishnu.

As we go around the rock formation, a natural shelter is seen. The rock faces under the overhang are filled with sculptures of Hindu gods.

There are two rows; the lower row consists of ten male characters in seated position, mostly in meditative position. Most of the images have been damaged, seemingly an intentional act of vandalism. The upper row, left to right, has Boovaraha, Ganapati, Brahma, Maheshwara, Vishnu, Mahishamarshini and Ugranarasimha. To the extreme right is a Shivalinga inside a Garbhagudi. Each of the characters have an arch, probably incomplete arches. Just above the arches are inscriptions of signatures in Kannada. I guess those are sculptors' banes. Over the inscriptions are seven square holes, five small and two large. It's my guess those are meant for placing oil lamps.

On the other face under the overhang are three images; one complete and two incomplete. On the left is Shivalinga inside Garbhagudi; in the middle is standing Vishnu with incomplete housing; and to the right is an image in very early stages. For some reason work was abandoned. On the lower part of the face is a small Shivalinga. Further lower and to the left is a square outline. Looks like that's another incomplete Shivalinga.

As we go around the boulder to the opposite side. a small structural temple is present. The temple has been built in a very tight space. From here it looks as though a cube has been pushed into the boulder.

On the left of the footpath is a boulder with natural slits. The lower slit which is open to sky catches rainwater. The ancient sculptors made a narrow groove to funnel out water. The boulder isn't large enough to hold water to sustain a flow lasting more than an hour. Maybe it lasted more than what I ca imagine.

Caretakers have maintained a neat lawn and flowering plants here. The pink Oleanders and green leaves enhance the place's charm.

Another look at the squeezed in temple. The more I look at this temple, the more I admire the clever idea.

This seems to be another incomplete rock-cut shrine. Not sure is this was meant to be a rock-cut shrine or a combination of rock-cut and structural temple.

View of the spot from an elevated spot.

This is my friend Srini from Hyderabad. Srinu and I were on a two-day tour of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole. Our tour had started from the four cave temples. Then we drove around to the North fort side. We had done quite a bit of walking under the blazing sunlight. We took a short break while it was partly cloudy. This waterbody is home to water fowls and other water birds.

At a distance was a flock of cormorants resting on rocks amidst the waters. Cormorants are good fliers and swimmers. With their webbed feet, they swim well on the surface and even underwater. The way they take from water is a sight to behold.

Turning back the sandstone formations, I noticed a unique feature here. On the surface were irregular lines which looked like dried sticky matter.

On the lower part of this picture, there are bands of lighter shades. Amazing how this texture came into being. Sandstone, a sedimentary rock, is formed when grains of quartz or feldspar are held together under pressure for millions of years. During the process other minerals too get trapped and remain embedded in sandstones.

A closer look at the dripping and sliding lines. Is it possible that some matter were squeezed out under pressure, like concrete escaping through gaps of centering plates.

Lastly, at the end of Bhootnath group enclosure is a rock-cut cave shrine known as Vishnu Gudi. Inside that cave temple are several images, the chief image being that of Anantashayana. We'll see Vishnu Gudi in detail in the following post.

In the above picture, on the left hand side are two incomplete images. Once is Ganapati for sure. The other image could be meant to be Vishnu. Having written this post, I feel I must visit Bhootnath group again and catch up with missed out sculptures.

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Bhootnath temple complex, Badami

Situated at one corner of Badami, Bhootnath group receives the least number of visitors. Of the tourists coming here, most are city folks or foreigners since the place is mostly free from hordes, most times it has a peaceful ambiance. The best part is the charm of the waterbody - Agastyatirtha. Then there are young couples looking for privacy find this place convenient. 

This group consists of 8 temples including the small ones. The largest structure of the group is Bhootnath Gudi and other would be dedicated to other deities. Then there are a dozen or so relief sculptures on the huge boulder a stone's throw away. On the boulder are two small structures as well. I'm not sure if those rock-cut shrines and smaller temples are part of Bhootnath group. Totally there are 12 structural temples and more than a dozen rock-cut shrines.

I've visited this group three or four times, the memorable ones being in Sept 2012 and Aug 2023. During my earlier visit there were information boards which describe this monument as below.

ಭೂತನಾಥ ಸಂಕೀರ್ಣ
ಶ್ರೀ ಪೈಗರ ಶ್ರೀಧರ ಭೂತೇಶ್ವರ' ಎಂದು ಎಂಟನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದ ಶಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿತವಾದ ಭೂತನಾಥ ದೇವಾಲಯವು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿರುವ ಈ ದೇವಾಲಯಗಳ ಸಂಕೀರಣದಲ್ಲಿನ ಈ ದೇವಾಲಯ ಹಲವು ಬಾರಿ ಜೀರ್ಣೋದ್ದಾರಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಇದರ ಮುಂದಣ ಒಂದು ಶಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ "ಕರಿಯಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಾನದ ದೀವಿಗೆ" ಎಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ಸಂಕಿರಣದ ಈಶಾನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟರ ಕಾಲದ ಮಂದಿರವಿದ್ದು ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಲಕುಳೀಶನ 7 ಇಲ್ಲವೇ 8ನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದ ಪೂಜಾ ಮೂರ್ತಿಯಿದೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಚಾಳುಕ್ಯರ ಕಾಲದ ಹಲವು ಗುಡಿಗಳಿದೆ.

The Bhutanatha Group
This group has the main temple called 'Sri Paigara Shridhara Bhuteshwara' in a record of the eighth century. The temple has undergone repairs many times, and is a simple structure. An inscription in front speaks of "Kariyamma Sthanada Divige." There is a Rashtrakuta temple to its north-east with Lakulisha image within and the image is assigned to the 7th or 8th Century. There are many shrines of Kalyana Chalukya times around this.

The temples in this group are either west-facing or south-facing except one north-facing temple. The temple seen here in the background is the second largest here. In the background is the boulder with two temples on its top.

A closer look at the boulder-top temples. The only access to these temples has been blocked out of concern for tourist safety, maybe there are other reasons. Ancient builders imagination and ability to build at unusual location is simply amazing.

Turning our attention to the main cluster. The temples ate packed together leaving ample space around the cluster. As you see, this group of temples have access to the waters of  Agstyatirtha. This waterbody is fed by the streams flowing down the sandstone hill. 

When there's a good rainfall, a waterfall appears on the cliff. It's a sight to behold. This is the entrance to Bhootnath group. On the left is a special pillar, unsure of its purpose.

The first temple as we enter the cluster. This could be the Rastrukuta temple with an image of Lakulisha. Lakulisha is said to be the 28th and the avatar of Shiva. He is depicted with a lakut (mace) hence the name. Lakulisha is considered as the founder of the Pashupata sect and propounder of Yoga system.

A smaller temple with a sloping canopy.

Rear view of the group. The well preserved Shikhara of Bhootnath temple seems to be a Vimananagari type. Shikhara of smaller temples are stepped pyramids. I feel these are experimental models like the temples of Galaganatha group at Aihole.

Rear diagonal view of Bhootnath Gudi. It's a beautiful structure with a wide pillared hall with two side entrances i.e. northern and southern sides.

At the southern entrance is a pillar similar to the one seen at the group entrance (fourth picture). At the first glance they look similar but with a small difference in the orientation of drilled holes . The pillar here seems to be a torch holder.

The side entrances are right next to the Antarala walls (vestibule). On the right hand side is a damaged sculpture. The reminder of the image is intriguing... what could that have been? Going by the looks of the interior, it seems this temple has been modified at least once. May be this hall was extended to accommodate more people.

Right opposite the Garbhagudi (sanctum) sits Nandi, and behind Nandi is a chamber which seems like a secondary sanctum. If it is another sanctum, we could call this temple a Dwikutachala.

A view of the packed space between the structures.

There goes Srinu my friend from Hyderabad. We were on a tour of the Chalukyan realm- Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole, Srinu's first visit here.

These small structures can be seen even at Pattadakal temple complex. In fact there are even smaller ones, 2" cubical temples. I feel these little structures were assignments or projects for apprentice sculptors.

Ancient builders planning was so careful, every little detail was looked into. Ancient temple sites rarely disrupted natural flow of rainwater around them. Same applies to Bhootnath group. The rainwater flows downhill forming a stream which joins Agstyatirtha right next to the group. On the left side of the picture is a small bridge, that's where the water flows in from. I really must visit here during a rainy season... wishing, hoping & praying for good rains this season.

Done with Bhootanath group of structural temples we move ahead to see the rock-cut shrines.

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inscription-stone hunt at Bhogasandra

During the Dec 2023 visit to Bhogasandra, while at Kote Ranganatha Swami Devastana, our friend Sidramanna mentioned about the presence of an inscription stone outside the village. The only person who would be able to show me that artifact would be Sidramanna's uncle Eshanna. Since that was a busy month for coconut farmers here, we could not find a convenient time. Even on normal days Eshanna is busy, always on the move by foot from one plantation to another. With a bag full of tools and pipeline spare parts, Eshanna checks drip irrigation lines daily. Besides the pipelines, he also checks the trees and fallen coconuts. Basically very dedicated to work, lives up to Jagatjyoti Basaveshwara's quote "Kayakave Kailasa" which means "work is worship."

In the third week I visited Bangalore, just a day. The following day Sridhar and I travelled to Bhogasandra with a short detour near Tumkur to see historical monuments of Gulur and Kaidala. Later in the day Satyaprakash, our friend from Bengaluru, joined us at Bhogasandra. The following day Venugopal from Mysuru joined us. It was a gathering of four primary school friends at Sridhar's farm, deep inside a rural realm. That evening we four went to Bhogasandra lake by walk. On the way we saw  a flock of peacocks & peahens.

Sridhar, Venu, Satyaprakash

Jan 19, we all went for an early morning walk deeper into the farm lands. Purpose of the outing was to pick & gather a citrus fruit called Yeralikayi. We happened to meet Eshanna near the target tree. He helped us pick two bag full Yeralikayi and accompanied us till Sridhar's house. On the way, the matter of inscription stone came up and luckily Eshanna obliged to take us to the spot. After breakfast. Satya left to Bengaluru and we went to catch up with Eshanna.

Venu hauling two bag full Yealikayi

After walking for about 15 minutes we reached a barren spot next to a coconut plantation. Eshanna looked around, under the bushes but unable to find the slab he had seen. Apparently the place had been disturbed by an excavator during while making a trench here. Eshanna felt the slab might've been buried when the trench was closed, he was disappointed. So was I. However, there was a rough granite slab with engraving on one face.

Eshanna and Venugopal

This is the best I could do with sunlight blazing down. Since the surface is coarse, the engraving is kind of camouflaged.

Here's a cropped version. On the top is a Shivalinga, surely Sun and Moon would also be present. Below the Shivalinga are five or six horizontal lines, between the lines there seems to be some text. As per Eshanna, a habitat existed here once upon a time. The place was abandoned during a scrouge. Looks like the habitat was mainly temporary structures since there are no ruins here except for this stone inscription.

That rear view of the slab. Geologically this stone is a fusion of granite and some other stone. Between this block and the bush were a few slimmer slabs buried in dirt. We tried to dislodge one of them but it wouldn't budge. To excavate we would require a lot of tools including a machete to clear the bush. A work for some other time.

Hoping to unearth the inscription some other time, we left and headed towards another coconut plantation of Eshanna. On the way we passed by a pond. On the pond banks was this anthill.

That's the pond. Eshanna said this pond was fed by canal water and rainwater too. This anthill with so many spikes has a special look.

From the opposite side it feels as though we are looking at a bull's horns.

Another 15 mins walk, we reached Eshanna's plantation where he plucked tender coconuts and opened them for us. The fresh cool drink was rejuvenating. We were thankful to Eshanna for taking out time from his busy schedule. I feel he walks 8 to 10 km daily and his mind is always engrossed with work. BTW, Sridhar tried to install a steps tracking app in Eshanna's smart phone, unsure if the installation was successful.

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