ADHVAGATI

  AGRAHARA BACCHALLI : is an obscure little town in KR-Pete Taluk , Mandya District with a very small  Hoysala Temple of 12th Century  dedicated to  Shiva named Hunaseshwara . The gramadevata ( Village Guardian ) is Bacchalamma Devi , for whom  the hamlet is named. As it was an Agrahara during Hoysala times , created by grant of the King, it would have been a prosperous place once.  Today, though not impoverished , it looks humble but  quite self satisfied with its fields, large tank and groves. Its two streets are clean ; people friendly and welcoming.  The temple is not difficult to find in that tiny settlement . Recently renovated, it looks tidy and cheerful with shiny new icons in the subsidiary alters. The front pavilion with the signature  Hoysala pillars , ceiling medallion , Garbhagriha and the  tower are original structures. A short circumambulation will cover the entire edifice.  The USP or STARS of the place are the uniq...

Scattered across Karnataka are hundreds of temples - big / small , popular /obscure -  all mostly situated in what in modern times have become "Small Towns" , whatever their status was when the temples were built.  The Hoysalas were obsessive temple builders . Having discovered the merits of Schist that can be worked on with ease , they seem to have found it difficult to stop themselves from chiseling away to glory !  It is interesting to note that in many sites , they built two important temples, one dedicated to their favourite Keshava and the other to Shiva.  In any given town, both temples surviving in good condition up to modern times  is only a matter of chance. For instance , in the very famous Somanathapura, the magnificent Chennakesava has survived  and is thriving gloriously in the tourist circuit ; while the Panchalingeswara , not very far from it , suffered like a poor relative, collecting dust and vegetation , till recently.  (Only now , t...

  The most recognisable landmark of Tirucchirapally is the massive rock outcrop , rising to a height of 83 meters from the flat land all around. Bald and smooth , this rock formation is believed to be among the oldest in the continent , older perhaps than the Himalayas , and rich in quartz and feldspar .  The Rock is generally referred to  as "Malai Kottai" , in conjunction with the Fort ( Kottai) built upon it by the Madurai Nayaka , Vishwanatha of 16th Century . But it was not as though the Nayakas  were the first to find a use for  The Rock . Before them, the Pallavas,  with their fondness for rock cutting technology,   had tried their hand at making  rock-cut shrines here.  However , the Ganapathi temple at the summit was left unfinished by them , to be developed by the Nayakas later into the very famous Ucchi Pillaiyar Temple .  The Pallava Cave But the Pallavas did finish one cave shrine  on the southern face of The Rock,...