PAYANIGA » Pilgrimage

I Was Here: Jageshwar

Prashanth — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:38:00 +0000

And I know that I, I will do more than just pass through this life
I’ll leave nothin less that something that says
I was here, I was here, I was here, I was here

by Lady Antebellum

Here I start – ‘I Was Here’ – a photo series with a photo or two from the places I’ve visited so far, along with a line or two about the place & may be on photo. I will be posting under this title randomly, without any specific frequency.

I saw these two camera-shy girls playing in the temple premises of Jageshwar. They were enjoying their time to the fullest – full of energey, running around, chasing one another and at the same time shying from the cameras. Captured in October 2008.

Mandharagiri

Prashanth — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Ask anyone in Tumkur for directions to Mandharagiri, it’s most unlikely that you will get proper details. But wait, now ask for directions to Basadi Betta (or Basti betta), almost everyone knows how to go there. Basadi Betta is a small hillock off Bangalore – Tumkur road. The name Basadi betta is due to the jain temple (basadi) on top of the hillock.

While travelling towards Tumkur from Bangalore, some 10 KMs before Tumkur you can see this small hill with word ‘Mandharagiri’ written (in Kannada) on face of the hill. It’s not adjucent to the highway but have to travel (turn right while comin from Bangalore) couple of kilometers to reach the foot of the hill. A hundred or two steps of climbing takes you to the basadi door. While the southern gives the urban landscape, on the other side lies lake Maidala (once source of drinking water to Tumkur city) with the backdrop countless number of hills. Out of them, Devarayana Durga & Ramadrvara Gudda are the prominent ones (or the names which I know :D).

With respect to architecture, the basadi doesn’t attract many people. But the place brims with devotees during festival season & a calm place for many away from the buzzing life. An year ago, a monolith of Chandraprabha Theerthankara was installed at the foot the hill. The statue which stands at a height of 21 feet is claimed to be the tallest statue of Chandraprabha Theerthankara. In case if you are driving by Tumkur and need a break, then you know where to go.

Interesting places near Tumkur:

Trek to Parvathamalai

Prashanth — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Most of my travels are limited to Karnataka and when I came to know that there is trekking plan in Tamilnadu, I jumped in. Parvathamalai, a pilgrimage near Polur in Thiruvannamalai district of Tamilnadu was our destination. Since it takes 4 to 5 hours to climb up, we left Bangalore on Saturday morning to reach Thiruvannamalai by noon. After visiting & roaming around the Shiva temple, we started towards Parvathamalai. It was past 2 in the afternoon when we started climbing.

Parvathamalai is more of a pilgrimage than a trekking spot. We saw pilgrims of all age – from as young as 3-4 years to as old as 70-75 years – climbing up & down the hill en route our trek. There is a temple of Shiva at the top, which the hill is approximately 3500 ft above sea level & is in Thiruvannamalai district of Tamilnadu. There are two routes to reach the peak – one from village Thenmathimagalam which is lengthy but easier and the other from Kadaladi village which is shorter but steep. We took the latter for both climbing up & down.

The path from Kadaladi village starts off like a jeep track and soon narrows down to path where one has to walk one behind the other. Most part of the hill is shrubs with trees scattered all around. That means you can be under a shadow only now and then. The shrubs in the initial stretch were dry & full of thorns. Three fourth of the hill is a steady climb and can be covered without much fuss. The final part is the steep climb on rocks, which is not so difficult if you are there on a bright sunny day. But that will be challenging if you have to climb that stretch after Sun has gone done in the west, with a surprise drizzles making the rocks completely slippery.

We reached the top around 7.30, after the tough final climb. Apart from the visit to the temple & packed dinner which we carried, it was just talking, talking & talking till we slept. Coming down the hill was easier, thanks to gravitational force. We took little over 2 hours to reach Kadaladi. A nice bath in cold water was refreshing before we boarded the vehicle back to Bangalore.

Few things to keep in mind, if you are planning to vist the place and/or stay overnight at the peak – there is no water available at the peak. Every drop of water – be it for drinking or any other purpose has to be carried along. It’s better to carry food, though food is provided at the temple. Reason, most of the devotees climb the hill without bringing food. Last, but most important, please don’t litter.

Photo Credits – Srik. I lost all the photos of the trip as the memory card of my camera got corrupted.

Kaveri, Kapila and Sphatika

Prashanth — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:16:00 +0000

“Do you want to go on a boat ride? I’ll take you to Sangama, Agasthyeshwara temple and bring you back.”

I heard a voice right behind me when I was parking the two wheeler near Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple in T Narasipura (Tirumakudalu Narasipura). I couldn’t see any boats except for few coracle look-a-likes but made of iron (called as ‘kupparike’ in Kannada).

“You mean on those?”, I asked Bhaira, owner of the voice to which I got an affirmative gesture. After enjoying a coracle ride in Nanjanagud few months ago, now it was time for more fun on those floating metals. Those floating objects (‘kupparike’) are mainly used for extracting sand from the river bed. During their non-working hours of sand extraction, they ferry people to the other side of the river. And those boats are 10 to 12 ft in diamter and 1.5 ft deep.

Tirumakudalu refers to the confluence of three rivers – Kaveri, Kapila (a.k.a Kabini) and Sphatika (a mythical spring or lake) – similar to the mythical river Saraswati which joins rivers Ganga and Yamuna in the North. And the place Narasipura got the name because of the famous Gunja Narasimha Swamy temple.

As we drifted along, our conversation continued. Bhaira became our guide along with the job of boatman. Agasthyeshwara temple which is sandwiched between rivers Kaveri (southern bank) and Kapila (northen bank). Legend says that the temple was built by Sage Agasthya, hence the name. And Bhiksheswara temple which is on the northen bank of river Kaveri is said that the temple has links to the Neolithic phase (stone age).

When you stand near the sangama (confluence) of the three rivers and you get to see temples in all directions – Agasthyeshwara temple, Bhiksheswara temple, Moolasthaneshwara temple, Anandeswara temple to name few prominant ones along with the abode of Gunja Narasimha Swamy.

It was around 2PM when I reached the place and unfortunately all the temples were closed. May be thats a sign to visit the place again leisurely. :)

Places in & around Mysore:

Keshava temple at Somanathapura

Prashanth — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:19:00 +0000

Though I’m in Mysore for the last three months, I never stayed there over weekends as I traveled back to Bangalore every week. One fine weekend I had to stay in Mysore and I made use of that Sunday to roam places around Mysore. I managed to visit Keshava temple at Somanathapura that day along with few other places.

The Keshava temple built in thirteenth centuary by Somanatha, the Dandanayaka (general) of the Hoysala King Narasimha The Third. The temple constructed in Hoysala style of architecture, and is a trikootachala (with three sanctums). The temple sanctums are dedicated to Keshava, Venugopala and Janardhana.

The temple is nicely maintained by Archeological Survey of India. Though the place is very close to Mysore, the conditions of roads is not good. I had a very tough time manoeuvring my two wheeler.

How to reach?

Somanathapura is approximately 32 KMs from Mysore. Mysore – 25KMS – Bannur – 7KMs – Somanathapura.

Temples of Jageshwar and Dandeshwar

Prashanth — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:06:00 +0000

After the short trek in the morning we visited Jageshwar later in the day. Jageshwar is a Hindu pilgrim dedicated to Lord Shiva & is at a distance of 35KMs from Almora. Nestled between tall Deodar trees lies this small town where more than 100 small temples are grouped in one premise. Constructed in ‘Nagara’ architecture (temple shikhars in the shape of bee hive), the temples date back to eight and ninth centuries.

Inside the Jageshwar temple premises, smaller temples are dedicated to other gods & goddesses – Vishnu, Hanuman, Lakshmi and more. A light (akhanda jyoti) burns continuously 24/7 in one of the temples & I was told that it�s burning since ages & is still maintained. And a small stream which flows beside the premise adds serenity to the place.

Couple of kilometers from Jageshwar is Dandeshwar temple, another shrine of Lord Shiva. This premise is smaller in size and four-five temples are there along with the main Dandeshwar temple. Both the premises are maintained by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India).

One peculiar sign we observed on almost all the temples was the three faced sculpture on the temple shikharas in both Jageshwar & Dandeshwar. When we enquired about the same with the priests we didn’t get any appropriate answer. And along with this one irritating issue we came across in the temple were the priests. They are no less than any of dacoits in extorting money from the tourists and devotees.

Enchanting Melkote

Prashanth — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:23:00 +0000

When we started off towards the temple town ‘Melukote’ (Melkote or Yadavagiri or Yadugiri) on a summer day, to be greeted by the misty morning. Our prayers for the same climate went in vain as the temperature soared later. We stopped at couple of places for photo sessions & reached in time for the breakfast.

After savouring the delicious ‘Puliyogare’, we roamed around the place – Cheluva Narayanaswamy temple, akka-tangi kola, Dhanushkoti (there is one here also), Raya Gopura & then Yoga Narasimhaswamy temple (situated on top of the hill).

What amazes me is the number of pushkarinis (kalyani or man made water-body) in a town situated on a hill. And that too most of them filled with water during peak summer.

The day we were there in Melukote was the last day of 10th board exams. A bunch of guys directly came out of the examination hall and jumped into the water to beat the heat & also to celebrate the end of exams ;)

How to reach there:

Bangalore – Mandya – turn right after 4 KMs from Mandya – Jakkanahalli Cross – Melukote

Bangalore – Kunigal – Bellur Cross – Nagamangala – Jakkanahalli Cross – Melukote

A Coracle Ride Across The River Kapila

Prashanth — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:44:00 +0000

“Come saar, I’ll take you to the other side of the river. It’s safe to play in water & take bath” called the boatman, while we were looking for some place on the crowded bank of river Kapila. Though it was 3.30PM the place was crowded, few devotees & many other trying to beat the summer heat. We decided to cross the river on the coracle to avoid the crowd & it was worth the decision. While my friends were enjoying playing in the water, I sat on the sand repenting for not bringing an extra set of clothes.

We started from Bangalore a bit late at 11AM as drive was completely unplanned. We had no particular destination for the day as our idea was to spend a day with friends. We were in no hurry & took our own time to cover the distance from Bangalore to Mysore. After the lunch break at Maddur, we decided to visit Nanjanagudu. We reached the place by 3.30. Another hour spent in playing in the river Kapila. And then we paid a visit to Srikanteshwara temple (temple of Lord Shiva).

Nanjangud is a temple town and is on the banks of the river Kapila (a.k.a Kabini). The place is 23 km from Mysore & around 160KMs from Bangalore. The temple of Lord Srikanteswara was built by the Gangas in 9th century. Nanjanagudu is also famous for ‘rasabaaLe’, a variety of banana & at one point of time (during late 80s) the place was also famous for the ‘Nanjanagudu tooth powder’.

By the time we started back from Nanjanagudu, our stomachs started grumbling which reminded us of the food which one of us had packed from home. We found a peaceful place – an old temple in the middle of paddy fields. We finished the food & spent some more time watching the Sun going down. And then we headed back home.

Thought coracle ride was of short duration, it was fun sailing on the smoothly flowing river. It was as if sitting in a cradle. How I wished for a coracle ride all the way back to Bangalore from Nanjanagudu :)

Manjeshwara & Someshwara

Prashanth — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:33:00 +0000

We stopped at Kasaragodu for lunch. From there we went to Manjeshwara, the birth place of Govinda Pai, one of the well known poets of Kannada literature. It was around 3.30PM & Sri Ananthapadmanabha swamy temple was closed. We had to be content looking at the sculptures outside the temple. There were lots of sculptures of snake god (Nagarakallu, in Kannada) – of different sizes & shapes. We were told that the place is well known for ‘Nagamandala’, worshipping the serpent god which is an all-night ritual.

Our next destination was Someshwara. Sun was drifting down, while we sat on the beach looking at the endless waves & munching some snacks. The beach was not much crowded as it was a weekday. While few roamed around, some more sat like us getting mesmerized by the play of the Sun & the Sea.

After Someshwara before reaching Surathkal, we visited couple of more temples – Kudupu, again a temple of Ananthapadmanabha Swamy & Polali, temple of Goddess Rajarajeshwari. Kudupu is approximately 10 KMs from Mangalore on Mangalore-Moodabidri route. Polali is around 20 KMs from Mangalore and can be reached by taking a left turn at Kaikamba (when coming from Mangalore).

Day four, we were back on our saddles for our return journey. We started from Surthkal at 6.30 in the morning and decided to reach Mangalore & then take NH48 all the way till Bangalore. First of of the journey was wonderful, riding through the twisty roads – the wonderful mountains Western ghats – Shiradi ghat. Once we crossed Sakaleshpur the road became straighter & straighter, boring & more boring. Somewhere near Sakaleshpur, Srik got a call from his office asking him to reach office as early as possible. We dropped plans of visiting couple of places on the way & rode down straight to Bangalore.

That’s the end of our 4 day ride to West Coast.

PS: And this is my 100th post :)

Exploring Kasaragod

Prashanth — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:09:00 +0000

On day three we gave rest to our steeds & hired a car as Srik’s aunt & cousin accompanied us for the trip. And third day turned out be more of a pilgrimage with visits to plenty of temples – most of them in Kasaragod district. Our first stop was Ananthapura. Few weeks before our ride plan, there was a news article about the place & it’s uniqueness.

Ananthapura, the place is well known for the temple of Lord Anantha Padmanabha. There are two specialties of this place – one, the idols of Lord Anantha Padmanabha, Goddesses Sridevi & Bhudevi are not made of stone/wood/metal, but are made of a mixture of more than 60 extracts from herbs/plants & other natural materials. The temple is built in the middle of a small pond & there is no external source of water to the pond except rain.

Second unique/strange thing of the place is, a crocodile lives in this pond where temple is constructed. It’s said that the crocodile is living there for years. During lunch time when called by priest, the crocodile comes out of the water & receives the ‘prasada’ from the priest. The legend says that – In 1942, the crocodile was shot dead by a British soldier. And the very next day appeared another crocodile which is present now. It’s said that the same crocodile is living in the temple pond since then. It was truly a ‘Believe it or not’ moment for us.

How to reach Ananthapura:

From Mangalore travel south towards Kasaragod to reach Kumbala (39KMs). Turn left & after 4 KMs you will be at Naikap. Turn right to reach the temple.

Our next stop was Madhur – temple of Srimadanantheshwara & Ganapati (siddi Vinayaka). Though the main deity here is Lord Shiva, his son Ganapati gets more importance/devotees. Our visit was brief compared to Ananthapura. From Madhur we started towards Bekal fort.

The Story so far:

Bangalore – Kunigal – Hassan – Belur – Yagachi – Chikkamagalur – Balehonnur – Jayapura – Sringeri – Agumbe – Hebri – Udupi – Malpe – Bengre – Udupi – Udyavara – Kunjarugiri – Pajaka – Kaup – Surthkal – Mangalore – Ananthapura – Madhur

Around Udupi: Kunjarugiri & Pajaka

Prashanth — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:19:00 +0000

From Udyavara we headed towards our next destination – Kunjarugiri, a hillock (giri = hill, mountain) with temple of Goddess Durga atop. One can reach the top either by steps (a hundred or so) or by road. Though we wanted to climb the hills, we didn’t want to risk our luggage on the bikes with so many monkeys around. There were so many monkeys near the temple, I stood gaurd near our bikes while Srik went inside the temple. And later we switched. To the west of Kunjarugiri, there is another smaller hillock. And there is a temple of Parashurama.

From there we visited Pajaka, the birth place of Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dvaita school of philosophy. He is the one who installed the deity of Sri Krishna at Udupi. A priest volunteered and took us on a guided tour. It is said that Sri Madhvacharya used to visit the Durga temple everyday & worshipped the goddess. Listening to the stories and the legends, took me to my childhood days of reading books and comics. And how we tried enact or immitate the mythological heroes.

After traveling 500+KMs in todays and visiting many places, we were tired. We reached Srikanth’s Aunt’s house in Surtakal. Before calling it a day, we met another fellow blogger Venu Vinod. At the end of day two, our trip meter read 540 KMs & distance for the day 100KMs.

Day Two:

Udupi – Malpe – Bengre – Udupi – Udyavara – Kunjarugiri – Pajaka – Kaup – Surthkal

Day One:

Bangalore – Kunigal – Hassan – Belur – Yagachi – Chikkamagalur – Balehonnur – Jayapura – Sringeri – Agumbe – Hebri – Udupi

Lord Igguthappa: The Kodava God

Prashanth — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:47:00 +0000

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Entrance to Nelija Igguthappa temple
After lunch at Bhagamandala, we headed towards Nelija where one of Lord Igguttappa temples is located. Lord Igguttappa, the snake god, commonly known as Subrahmanya is the main deity worshipped by the Kodavas. We reached Nelija around 3.30PM & the temple was closed. We had to be content by roaming around the temple premises & enjoying the nature.

From Nelija, we rode towards Kakkabbe where another Igguthappa temple at Paadi is situated. Again here the temple was closed due to renovation. After spending some time roaming around the place, we started our journey back home, to Bangalore.

Stone bell at Paadi Igguthappa temple
From Gonikoppa, we took the same route back home via Hunsur and Srirangapatna. As soon as we crossed Hunsur, rain god gave us company during the ride. We had to stop quite frequently and duration of the breaks was longer as the rain was lashing. When I reached home, it was well past midnight & the bike�s trip meter was just above 700KMs.

During our visit over 2 dyas, we managed to see few places. But still there are plenty of places that I’ve to visit – Tadiyandamol, Brahmagiri, Nalknaadu aramane, Abbi falls, Dubbaare – the list is endless.