As from a Dream.....and a Nightmare
The weather of the day definitely has an effect on the first impression a place makes . I don’t know what Doddagaddavalli Mahalakshmi Temple would have conveyed at first glimpse on a cheerfully sunny day . After all, Mahalakshmi is all about auspiciousness, happiness, abundance and brightness. But this silent, drizzly day , with the grey sky heaving with dense clouds, certainly imparts a touch of Gothic mystery to the high walled compound overlooking the tank at the very edge of a desolate hamlet . Except for a few ladies washing clothes in the tank , there is hardly any buzz in the scenery . The ambience feels somewhat menacing , for no apparent reason . The stone walls of the compound are quite high , 7ft tall. Above the wall can be seen the tops of a cluster of vimanas . All similar, the Kadamba-Nagara style giving them a mesoamerican stepped pyramid look . Only one vimana shows a dravida finial ( Mahalakshmi’s) . Being a Protected Monument , the site ...