Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Devastana, Arsikere

After spending 45 minutes at Sri Chandramouleshwara Devastana, we got directions for Chikka Tirupati which is just a couple of kilometers outside the town. We drove around the enclosure and reached the front where a towering Gopura stood majestically. Until now I was under the assumption that the temple was atop the hill. That's the moment I learned about Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Devastana.

Being a Tuesday, the place was uncrowded, all streets around the temple were empty and tidy. It feels good to visit a temple like this. People seen were mostly residents here and a few students. At the moment, it looked like we were the only visitors. It's needless to say that this place would be teeming with people on Saturdays, Sundays, special days like Ekadasi and festivals.

Seen here are the following: an ancient mantapa, Tulabaara pillars and five tier Gopura. Also, in the vicinity and out of sight are two more Mantapas, both ancient structures. Then there's a Kalyani close by.

We enter the temple, we were the only two visitors at the moment. The Archaka performed Arati and we got a long darshan of the lord. We exited the temple and started the Pradakshina. As you see the temple has ample open space around it. In fact a pillared shelter runs along the perimeter wall like all big temples in southern India. Close to the entrance here, there was a Kalyana Mantapa where a family was participating in a ritual performed by two or three Archakas.

Another view of the Gopura.

This is definitely an ancient shrine, however the structure has undergone renovation recently. There's not much information of this temple online but the temple atop the hill was constructed by a local chieftain Palegar Thimmapanayaka during Hoysala times. In the background is Malekallu Gudda atop which is Venkateshwara shrine. Apparently the temple below was built later so that Rathothsava and other festivals could be carried out conveniently.

Idols of Anjaneya and Garuda in the pillared shelter.

A slightly better view of Malekallu Gudda. Here we see two peaks. On the right hand side peak is Venkateshwara Devastana. From the base, one needs to climb 1300 steps to reach the hilltop temple which is open only on Saturdays between 6 AM and 12 noon. So remember this if you are planning a visit.

A closer view of the peak and temple complex.

On the northern side of the enclosure is this gateway called Vaikunta Dwara. On certain festivals, or even any normal day, people consider passing through the Vaikunta Dwara Mantapa a sacred thing.

The northeastern view of the Gopura.

The pillars of the porch are ancient, probably installed during Hoysala times. Around this time we saw a married couple enter the temple, they seem to the only visitors other than Sridar & I. We sat besides the Gopura for a few minutes soaking in the silence of the place.

These are the two Mantapas. The closer one, going by its turned pillars, is definitely Hoysala architecture. Mantapa in the background seems like relatively recent, probably built during Vijayanagara times.

A stone's throw from the Mantapas is this water tank meant for bathing.. a holy dip.

This tank is quite interesting with a Mantapa at its center. The fish head popping out is a nice touch.

The place was well kept. Whoever's in charge is doing a good job. I wish people cooperate with temple management in upkeeping cleanliness.

Time to move on since we had to visit three more places- Javagal, Belawadi and Arakere. All these places were known for beautiful Hoysala temples. Also, we wanted to complete the temple tour and return home at Bhogasandra before sunset.

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Sri Chandramouleshwara Devastana, Arsikere

Temples of Arasikere was on my list for quite some time. In the last week of August a plan formed. I would be visiting Bhogasandra from where Sridhar & I would be doing a Hoysala temple run one of the days. We arrived at Bhogasandra on 14th September morning. The temple tour was planned for 16th but we had to postpone it to the 17th.

September 17, 2024. On the itinerary for the day were Arasikere, Javagal, Belawadi and Arakere. Sridhar and I left Bhogasandra around 5-45 AM. We touched NH73 at Nittur and turned towards Tiptur. Most of the highway is good, stretches of the highway widening is pending. We had thoughts of having breakfast at Tiptur but it was too early, we decided to have to Arasikere which is just 25 km away. About 6 km from Tiptur as we were enter the newly done road I noticed a large stepped water tank to my right. The tank had a historic look and that was enough for us to stop and check it out.

A seemingly newly planted board called this place Ayyana Baavi which translates to Ayya's well. Probably built in the XV or the XVI Century, this place was dear to Kannada cine star Dr. Raj. Discovering a historical landmark was a good way to start the day. Our break lasted about 15 minutes, then we resumed our journey. Just before Arasikere town is the town's lake. We stopped on the embankment to get a couple of shots of Chikka Tirupati Gudda. As we entered the town, the only landmark I could recognize was Sadhana theatre, buildings along the main street were unfamiliar now. With help from a local person we got directions to an eatery called Ayodhya Darshan. It was barely 8-15, the place was packed.. seems like a popular joint. Food was excellent and we did see people throng the place. Our first item on the itinerary- Chandramoulsehswra - situated off Arasikere-Huliyar road was just three minutes drive.

Here's the XIII Century Hoysala beauty. The main temple is concealed by this domed-pillared hall. In plan of this hall is a 16 point star. It's a one of its kind. The interior is more interesting than its exterior, unfortunately the hall was undergoing maintenance. Scaffolding and other construction equipment filled the hall, didn't want to photograph the chaotic scene.

In this diagonal view the temple comes into view. Between the domed hall and temple are the side entrances. In the foreground is Bilva Patre and Nagara Katte. Around the tree's base are serpent idols, all ancient and worshipped regularly.

The design is seriously complex, the details of every piece of this assembly is mindboggling! The Shikhara too seems like a 16 sided star. Most of the exterior is clad with geometric or floral patterns, idols of Hindu gods dominate the middle layers. From here the temple looks well preserved. However, closer look reveals that most of the idols are damaged. The idols have received blows by hard objects - it's no secret who's behind such an act. I happened to noticed that the people of the same community happen to live in large numbers around this monument.

The secondary temple comes into view here which happens to be a Dwikutachala. The two sanctums of this temple share a common pillared hall. The two deities of this temple are forms of Shiva named Sri Veereshwara Swami and Sri Bakkeshwara Swami.

A side view of the Dwikutachala.

A diagonal view of the pillared hall of the main temple. In a way this Mantapa actually grabs more attention at this site.

Let's take a look at Veereshwara Swami and Bakkeshwara Gudi. As you see the east-facing temple has two entrances, one each opposite the sanctums. The steps are flanked by elephant balustrades. Elephant idols feature in most Hoysala temple while Chalukyan temple feature imaginary creature with a long snout curled into a spiral.

This hall has Sukanasi around it i.e. a seating platform. The hall, since it's open on three sides, is well ventilated. In the ancient times, temples were the centers of villages. All important meetings would be held at temples hence they were designed for such gatherings.

The pillared hall interior. The pillars seen here are turned and polished to mirror finish. The pillar design is more or less same since the Chalukyan times. The upper parts ensure structural stability. The design is not entirely rigid to take care of thermal imbalances caused due to thermal expansion or contraction; or due to tremors caused by seismic movements. 

A square niche in the ceiling. Lotus being an important part of our culture has to be present in every temple. The iron rod is a recent addition, probably inserted during restoration work.

A diagonal view of the hall. Notice something on the left hand side edge of this picture. Well, if the khommunity carried out hate vandalism, some descendants of these temple creators unleashed their creative destruction by etching their names, and the names of their girl friends.

After having shot pictures of the temple exterior, a man appeared suddenly and objected to shooting. ASI, as much as I appreciate their efforts, I detest their caretakers' objection to photography, especially if you are carrying a good camera. They object while they are oblivious to the presence of pictures available on the net. Anyway, after a bit of talking, the caretaker agreed to mobile camera. And, photography of the main temple's interior wasn't allowed which is understandable.

Moving on, here are a few inscription slabs and memorial stones related to these temples.

These memorial stones are Veeragallu, hero stones. These stones are dedicated to the brave people or warriors who lost their lives protecting the place's inhabitants or their properties. There are Veeragallu for warriors who lost their lives protecting cattle from wild animals. Like Veeragallu, there are Sati stones too.

A closer look at the Nagara Katte.

Let's go back to the main temple for a closer look at those intricate sculptures. I'm at loss of words to describe these creations. Then I think what's the purpose of such detailing right from bottom to top. The ancient builders, surely extraordinary people compared to us, definitely had a profound purpose.

Every ancient temple exterior had niches dedicated to a particular god. Since most temples are east-facing, there would be these little shrines on the northern, western and southern walls. I remember one of my friends tell who occupies what direction. Ganesha is one of them.

Let's look up at the canopy. Surely it's not a canopy just to protect the structure from dripping rainwater drops. There's some other purpose which the present people fail to understand. This design has something to do with harnessing cosmic energy.

Another canopy design.

This defaced idol seems to be of Vishnu, Lakshmi and Garuda. Take a close look at their Kirita i.e. headgear and the circular part behind their heads. The big button like knobs above the ears are eye-catching. They seem like present day headphones. Who know what technology ancient people possessed to be even creating these sculptures out of stones. A sculpture of those times possessed deep knowledge of geologist, metallurgy and what not.

The pillar and canopy alignment is perfect. Creating the sculpture is one part. Assembling it perfectly is another part. Then, yet another part is to make that assembly stand as is for centuries. Now try to imagine the intelligence of those builders. Did they work for money like the present people? No. Then what motivated them? This is something the present people have to ponder upon. 

Coming to the exterior of the star-shaped Mantapa. This is one of the corners of its Sukhanasi. The simple but well formed pillars are elegant. They seem like shock-absorbers.

Lastly a look at a portion of the Shikhara. The alignment is perfect.

Whatever I'm trying to tell with these pictures and words is a drop in the ocean. One must visit this, and ancient temples to see and feel the wonders.

We move with our tour, we head towards Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Devastana which is a about 2 km from here.

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a building of 1937 CE at Adalagere

Adalagere is a village near Nittur-Tiptur highway. I've passed through it several times while traveling to and from Bhogasandra. I had noticed this 87 year old building during my earlier drives, but I stopped for a photo on the Sept 17th morning. Built in the British rule time, this building must've been one of the most modern looking structure of Adalagere.

There could be other structures older than this building here but this particular one sticks out.

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Ayyana Baavi

Sept 17, 2024. Sridhar and I were traveling from Bhogasandra to Arasikere. Our plan for the day was to visit ancient temples in and around Arasikere. A few kilometers from Tiptur towards Arasikere I noticed a stepped tank to my right. The place had a historic feel and I felt this would be a good spot for a short break. The place had a nice ambiance marred by noise of traffic passing by.

I was trying to imagine this place before the highway widening project commenced, the well was a good 20 meters away from the 2-lane highway. The present highway is barely 6 meters from the edge of the well. I have vague memory of one of my uncles mentioning this well during a journey in the 1980s.

If not for the small board here, seemingly planted recently, we wouldn't have known this pond was called as Ayyana Baavi. Here's a transcription & translation.

ಅಯ್ಯನ ಬಾವಿ
ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಶಕ್ತಿ ಬಾವಿಯಾಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ ರಂಗಾಪುರ ಮಠದ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಇದೇ ತಾಲೂಕಿನ ಶ್ರೀಸುಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ಕೆರೆಗೋಡಿ ಕಾಲದ ಶ್ರೀ ಗುರುಪರದೇಶಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಯವರಿಂದ ನಿರ್ಮೊಣವಾದ ಬಾವಿ. ಈ ಬಾವಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂತಹ ಬರಗಾಲದಲ್ಲೂ ನೀರು ಬತ್ತಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ಬಾವಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಪೂರ್ವ-ಪಶ್ಚಿಮವಾಗಿ ಕಲ್ಲನ್ನು ಎಸೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಈಜಾಡುವುದು, ಕಲ್ಲುಎಸೆಯುವುದು, ಗಣಪತಿ/ಇತರೆ ಮೂರ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಸರ್ಜನೆ ಮೊಡುವುದು ನಿಷೇಧಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ತಿಂಡಿ/ತಿನಿಸು ತಿನ್ನುವುದು ನಿಷೇಧಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಸ್ವಚ್ಛತೆಯನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡುವುದು.
ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆ: ಮತ್ತಿಹಳ್ಳಿ ಗ್ರಾಮ ಪಂಚಾಯಿತಿ

As per the above text, this is a historic well. This was constructed by a Veerashiva monk. It is said that this well has water even in drought conditions.

A search on Google lead me to a couple of videos on YouTube. One of them is posted in Kannada fraternity channel called Chitraloka. The video is basically an interview of Tiptur Ramaswamy by KM Veeresh editor of Chitraloka. The video starts with a request to the highway project team to ensure care while carrying out construction work around this historic well. In the interview, Tiptur Ramaswamy narrates his visits to this place with Kannada superstar Dr. Rajkumar and colleagues. They would ride bicycles from Tiptur to Ayyana Baavi carrying food and cooking vessels. They would spend entire mornings swimming, after noon they would cook lunch and have in the small Mantapa, and rest before returning to Tiptur. It seems Dr. Raj told Tiptur Ramaswamy the history of this place which goes like this. A wandering Veerashaiva monk in the XVI or XVII Century came to this place in search of water. Local people offered him water and told him about water scarcity since there was no well or pond close by. The monk collected money from surrounding villages and used it to have this well constructed. Monks were addressed as Ayya hence this stepped well came to be known as Ayyana Baavi.

Then there's saying about this well that one cannot throw a stone across the length of this pond. We didn't try throwing one. This pond's measures approximately 65m in the east-west direction and 35 meters in the north-south direction. Definitely I cannot throw a stone that far. 

Here's a closer look at the shelter used for cooking and resting. I'm sure many travelers would've stopped here for a good bath and rest here.

Finally, here's the video I mentioned earlier. Do watch it to hear Tiptur Ramaswamy narrate his memories of this place.

I hope this historic stepped well survives the forces of modernity or development or whatever one chooses to call it. Local people must take appropriate steps to protect and preserve it.

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Anantana Hunnime Chandra 2024

After a full day tour of Hoysala temples in and around Arsikere, we were relaxing at Sridhar's farmhouse with our friends from Bhogasandra village. Sridhar noticed the moon risen over the neighboring coconut plantation and shot the first picture. The next morning I noticed the moon close to the tree tops on the western side. I clambered on to a wall to avoid the tree tops and managed to get a few shots. This is the work of two photographers and one camera. This post can't end without mentioning the camera- Nikon P900. No tripod was used.

shot by Sridhar on Sept 17th night

shot by Siddeshwar on Sept 18th morning

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aerial shots of Gangambike Aikyasthala

Aug 15, 2024

Our first stop of the day was to see Shivasharane Gangambike's Aikyasthala. Gangambike was one of the two wives of the XII Century social reformer Basaveshwara. Neelambike was the other wife. Basaveshwara's struggle to eradicate untouchability resulted in the formation of a community where everybody was treated equally with respect. Basaveshwara's wives, his sister Akka Nagamma and her son Channabasaveshwara were leading members of the community of Shivasharanas. However this social revolution led by Basaveshwara at Kalyana, the capital of Kalachuri kingdom, was met with stiff resistance from a powerful section which culminated into a massive conflict. The dejected Basaveshwara leaves Kalyana and returns to his place of education- Kudala Sangama where he passes away. Meanwhile Shivasharanas comes under attack of Kalachuri army resulting in their exodus. A major chunk of Shivasharanas led by Gangambike, Akka Nagamma and Channabasaveshwara travel southward towards Ulavi pursued by Kalachuri army. The two groups clash at Kadrolli a village close to river Malaprabha right bank. Shivasharanas emerge victorious and the army retreats. In the battle Gangambike and another prominent leader Madivala Machideva are the injured among hundreds of others. Gangambike passes away on the left bank of Malaprabha and her mortal remains were buried at that spot which remains preserved till the present.

Malaprabha is a main tributary of river Krishna. It was dammed downstream about 11 km from this spot resulting in the formation of reservoir Renuka Sagar. When the reservoir is full, the river swells upstream. Due to good rains in the past months, Malaprabha has swollen submerging it's banks. Hence Gangambike Aikyasthala seems like it's in the middle of the river.

My plan was to get a few shots from the river side as well but a huge flock of birds flying around the place forced ne to abort the flight. Neither did I want to injure any of the birds nor lose my drone. Of the 7 or 8 shots, 2 have been posted here.

Do read the post Ganagambike memorial posted in 2012. Also below are links to related posts:

• Basaveshwara Aikyasthala at Kudala Sangama

• Akka Nagamma Aikyasthala at Yennehole, Tarikere

• Shivasharane Neelambike Aikyasthala near Tangadgi

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