Karnataka - Architectural Wonders

My first ever trip alone!!!

Astounded??? Well, that's the common reaction of all the people I have come across in this trip. Was never so excited and nervous at the same time... Support from my family and my loved ones made this trip success.

This time I went to Karnataka. I don’t know if everyone would agree, but this state changes your entire perspective on the spiritual and architectural front. The state has it all, right from the city lights to wildlife to the hill-stations. The major aspect of the state for which Karnataka is famous for is its wildlife and architectural wonders.

I started my journey to Bengaluru on 21st May ’11. The Bengaluru airport is really far from the city. One has to take City Bus Shuttle to reach the city. I intended to keep the city as my base to roam to other places. I was put up at my sister’s place for next couple of days. The next day my sister and jiju took me to MTR for breakfast. It's a very interesting place for food if you wish to experience the authentic south Indian food.

MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Room) restaurant, founded in 1924, is located on Lalbaug road. This is the place where the word authenticity is not written anywhere but can be experienced everywhere. If you don’t mind waiting in a queue, this is the place to be for south Indian food. Khara Bhaat (Upma) and Kesari Bhaat (Sheera) is delicious. The food here usually overflow with ghee, but the taste amuses you… Well must say, that you get more than what you have paid for.

After heavy breakfast, we went to Lalbaug Botanical Park which is just almost opposite to MTR. Never seen garden, so well maintained and so beautiful. The Park, commissioned in 1760, is a lush green paradise with an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city. The garden has over 1000 species of flora some of which are rare species brought from Persia, Afghan & France. Huge old trees

with their canopy of green foliage interspersed with flaming red flowers of gulmohar can be seen everywhere. The park is also home to various avian species like black kite, brahminy kite, kingfisher, herons, cormorant, etc. A binocular is must, if you are a bird watching enthusiast. The park truly is awesome where you can sit by the lakeside and reconnect with the nature.

On 23rd May ’11, I visited Shravanbelagoda, Belur and Halebid. I had booked a seat in the tour bus by KSTDC. It’s a one day tour costing Rs. 935/- wherein the bus picks you up at 6:30 am and drops you at around 10pm.

Our first stop was Shravanbelagoda, which is about 157 kms from Bengaluru. Shravanbelagoda is well-known for its religious and spiritual sanctity. It’s a Jain pilgrimage destination, wedged between two hills – Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri. Shravanbelagoda is famous for its colossal statue of Gommateshwara, also referred to as Lord Bahubali. The statue is located on Vindhyagiri and one has to climb bare-footed about 600 -700 steps to see the splendor of the statue up-close. The steps are steep at few places and it gets hard to climb. You forget how tired you are once you see the imposing 17 meter high statue, carved out of monolithic stone. The statue is beautifully carved with absolutely accurate body proportion. Eyes exude the serenity and calmness. His face shows calm expression with a little hint of smile. Just looking at the lord, takes you miles away from worries. There is an anthill in the background which signifies his incessant penance. From this anthill emerge creepers which twine artistically and beautifully around his legs and his arms. The Digambar (Nude) form of Bahubali represents the complete victory over the earthly desires and needs which distracts you from attaining the divinity. On the either side of the lord stand two majestic chauri bearers in the service of the lord. One of them is Yakshi and other is Yaksha. The bearers are richly ornamented which is absolute contrast to the nude form of Bahubali. Mahamasthakabhishek is performed once in every 12 years, and the next will be held in 2018…. I would want to be a part of it. So fingers crossed!!!!

Our next stop was at Belur. Belur is about an hour and an half drive from Shravanbelagoda. The temple was built in 1116 AD by Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over the Cholas. The presiding deity of the Belur temple is Lord Channakeshava. The temple is architecturally rich with carvings of intricate design and decorations. Every inch of the temple is filled

seductively with the human figures, gods and demigods and animals. Each and every sculpture of the Madanika, carved skillfully and beautifully on the brackets of the columns, are unique creations. Their curvaceous body, their jewelry, their poses, each and every part of the sculpture including the eyelashes just takes your breath away. There is this Darpansundari, sculpture of a lady holding mirror and completing her shringar. The other figure that comes to my mind is that of a lady squeezing out

water from her hair after bath. Other being that of a lady being harassed by a mischievous monkey. Would love to tell you more about each and every sculpture, but cannot as the travelogue would be too big to read. The temple is star shaped with a pair of Hoysala symbols in the form of a man attacking a tiger. The elaborated arches on the entrances show a mythical creature known as Makara. This motif can be seen in all the temples belonging to Hoysala Dynasty. The makar a is a result of combination of attributes of seven animals (eyes – monkey, wide mouth – crocodile, tail – peacock, limbs – lion, trunk – elephant, ears – cow and body - pig). The temple is full of pillars and each pillar is unique. There is a pillar in the courtyard of the temple complex which stands without any support. One can even see the gap between the pillar and the platform on which it stands on one side. I was able to spend just an hour at this magnificent place which I felt absolutely inadequate. You require atleast a day to appreciate the splendor of these beautiful temple, which is the evidence of our rich heritage.

Later we headed for Halebid. It is situated about 17 kms from Belur. This magnificent piece of work is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the largest of the Hoysala temples. The Construction of this temple started in 1121 and got completed by 1207. One visible hallmark of temples built during the Hoysala regime was their star shaped structure and also the dome less top. The temple is divided into two identical temples, one on the northern side is Shantaleshwara (after Shantala Devi, beloved wife of Vishnuvardhana) and the southern one is the Hoysaleshwara temple.

Thousands of intricately carved sculptures depicting scenes from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Prahalad, etc adorn the walls. As one goes around the shrine, some of the finest sculptures can be seen – Krishna Leela, Battle between Arjun & Karna, Lord Shiva as Natraja, the Dashavtars, Ravana lifting Kailash Parvat, Abhimanyu chakravyuha, etc. The temples are preceded with a huge statue of Nandi adorned with beautiful ornaments. The interiors of the shrine are equally impressive with ornately carved pillars and exquisite bracket figures of madanikas. I was able to see the reflection of the artist’s mindset in the carvings and the whole experience of being in this temples and witnessing this rich heritage is so overwhelming.

My next destination was Hampi. I started for Hampi on 24th May ’11. Trains and buses are

both available but I preferred the overnight train. The train stops at Hospet from where you can either take a bus or auto (max 120 `) to reach Hampi. Hampi is around 14 kms from Hospet.

Hampi was the 14th century magnificent capital of Vijayanagara Empire, one of the greatest empires of the world. It is protected by the Tungabhadra River on the north and by rocky granite ridges on the three sides. Covering an area of about 26 kms, the ruins are situated in the midst of a rugged landscape.

If you are energetic and have an entire day or two you can walk. Or you can hire an auto at Rs. 300 and take a 4-hour tour. I didn’t feel like taking an auto, instead I decided to walk and get the feel of the ruins. For this I had to hire a guide at Rs. 600 (fixed rate by the Hampi tourism). It’s safer to have a guide incase you travelling alone because the monuments are quite far from each other and you have to walk through jungle and huge boulders. More or less I visited all the places from the guide book, but mentioned below the monuments which appealed to me:

1. Vittala Temple

To reach here you have to follow the Tungabhadra River keeping it on your left side. It’s quite a walk, around 2-3 kms from the hampi market. The temple, built in 15th century, is the most extravagant architectural piece of Vijayanagar art. On entering you will see a Stone Chariot. Normally in Vishnu temples you will see garuda stamba, instead a stone chariot was built facing the temple’s sanctum. The chariot is carved with mythical battle scenes. Just behind the chariot is the Maha Mantapa, which stands

on an ornate platform carved with floral motifs and horses. The main highlight of this hall are the musical pillars which emits sounds of instruments. Though it’s not allowed to tap these pillars because of the unmindful curiosity of visitors. The inner sanctum, also known as Garbha-mandir, is devoid of idols. For the pradakshina, one had to access the unlit underground passage. Northeastern hall is known as Musician’s Hall and is carved with sculptures of musicians, drummers and dancers. The ceiling are beautifully carved with patterns of lotus like designs. The northwestern hall is the Lakshmi temple. Whereas the hall on the southwest is the Common Hall and on the southeast is the Kalyan Mantapa. This hall is beautiful with ornated platform in the middle and stories of dashavtar, ramayan, prahalad, etc adorns the pillars of the hall.

2. King’s Balance – A huge stone frame where kings weighed themselves with gems & diam

onds which were then distributed among poor.

3. Achyutraya Temple

Dedicated to Lord Tiruvengalanatha, a form of Vishnu, is off the track and hidden nature of the temple makes it less crowded. The open hall just ahead has some of the finest carved pillars in Hampi. Carvings on the pillars revels themes like Krishna leela. A beautiful yet modern temple as compared to the Vittala temple.

4. Hazara rama temple

15th century temple for the royals, is known for its sculpted friezes depicting Ramayana.

5. Pushkarani

The Pushkarni is a stepped tank in a symmetrical formation, with water being supplied from a stone aqueduct.

6. Ugranarasimha

22 feet huge statue with the serpent’s hood above it. Earlier known as Lakshmi Narasimha because of lakshmi sitting on his lap. But thanks to the invaders, lakshmi has been destroyed and hence came to be known as Ugranarasimha.

7. Badavi Lingam – Monolith linga is 12 feet tall.

8. Sasivekalu Ganesha – 4 armed ganesha is monolith idol which is 12 feet tall

9. Kadlekalu Ganesha – 18 feet tall monolithic idol

10. Virupaksha Temple

7th century temple is the principal temple and one of the oldest functioning temples in India. East facing Gopura leads you the first courtyard of the temple complex. The tower with a pair of cow horn like projections on top is the most prominent landmark in Hampi. The mural panel on the central portion of the main temple hall is one of the few remains of this form of Vijayanagara art. The inner sanctum contains the idol of lord Virupaksha in the form of a Linga. Personally I wasn’t really attracted to this t

emple.

Important thing to remember while travelling in Hampi: Carry sunglass , cap, sunscreen and lots and lots of water because the stones and rocks tend to absorb and radiate the sun’s heat.

Hampi has been the highlight of my trip and has left a deep and powerful impact on my mind. Its difficult to put it in words about how splendor is this work of human. You have to see it to believe it.

My next destination was Coorg, Madikeri to be precise. I stayed in Coorg from 30th May till 1st June '11. I had taken an overnight bus to Madikeri bus depot. You can make out that you have entered the district when you start seeing dainty bungalows peeking through the hillocks and plantations. The Coorgis have opened up their homes for the tourists where one can get the feel of the place. I stayed at Madikeri in a similar homestay on the top of a hillock. Mentioned below are the places I visited:

1. Talacauvery

Situated 4,500 fta bove sea level and situated 48 kms from Madikeri, it is from where Cauvery springs forth, only to disappear underground before surfacing again near Bhagamandala. Cloudy skies and mist welcomed me as I made to the temple. Next to the temple is the Brahamagiri hill which you can climb to view the panaromic view of the region. I couldn’t see a thing but a white blanket formed as a result of mist and clouds

2. Bhagamandala

Derives its importance from the temple near the Triveni Sangam of Cauvery, Kannani and Sujhoti, a mythical and mystical river. It is situated 40 kms from Madikeri.

3. Abbi Falls

An exotic waterfall, about 8 kms from madikeri, is located amidst green and dense forest where it’s easy to lose the track of your time. The falls, cascading down from 70 feet height, is not impressive but the untamed surrounding is what makes the place desirable to visit.

4. Namdroling Monastery (Golden Temple)

Situated, about 35kms from Madikeri, in the Bylakuppe district,

the four monasteries are gorgeous, colorful and breath-taking. The most prominent and attractive of all is the Namdroling Monastery. There is a huge bell at the entrance. I was quite taken-back (in a good way) by the enormous nature of the idols. The immense size of the idols, the huge hall and beautiful paintings is absolutely overwhelming. I was in the awe when I saw the golden beauty of the three statues, with Mongolian eyes and long ears. I was lucky enough to hear the chants. The beautiful sound of the Tibetan trumpet, the cymbal and the gong, the chanting and the Tibetan monks with their quiet unassuming presence gave me a unique feeling of peace.

5. Nisargadham

Situated 32 kms from Madikeri is a 65 acres of bamboo jungle, with a picturesque hanging bridge, Deer park (small fenced area with chital and sambar). It’s a nice picnic spot for nature lovers who doesn't mind the eerie sounds of bamboos. It is a unique little place in the contentious waters of the river Cauvery.

I have tried to explain Coorg in words, but the fact is that no words can do justice to describe the essence of the place. As I had stated before you have to see it & experience it to believe it...

This brings me to the end of my travelogue…. I hope that I can write more travelogue about my future trips soon… Till then adios!!!!