ADHVAGATI

The priest says it was built by the same Malla Byre Gowda of Avati  ( 16 th cent) who built the original fort. But the Venugoplaswami temple inside Devanahalli Fort is today an amalgam of styles. It has a typical dravidian tower, chalukyan style sculptures, ( though much less flamboyant than elsewhere ), a Vijayanagar style presiding idol in the sanctum and two Ganga period Vishnus with prayoga chakras standing guard outside the tower. The wall panels are most interesting as they show scenes from the much loved epics, like a picture book. The pillars in the navaranga have assorted images, which range from the basic to the exquisite. It is a living temple and the paraphrenalia for the Teru festival were getting spruced up, all gleaming and  pretty, when we visited.  The Vishnu of the Gangas , with prayoga chakra .  Was painting him necessary ? 

Wonderstruck by the Devara kaadu ( Sacred Grove) Nallur Thopu , now called Nallur Biodiversity Heritage Grove .The first of such sites in India.  Near Devanahalli .  54 Acres , 295 Tamarind trees , the oldest being 410 yrs old . The Thopu is believed to have originated 800 years ago , under Chola reign . To prove which , some remnants of a Chola period temples are found scattered in the grove,. Still , the beautiful sculpted walls stand intact .  Just outside the Grove are two other plain ones have fallen apart. And the stray shepherd there spins a tale of pots of treasure dug up and spirited away from there .....yarns for our entertainment i guess !    Inside the grove is also a fully rebuilt Gangamma temple of unknown antiquity.  There's a forlorn beauty , finding  the little, lonely temple nestling among the giant old trees.........     Gangamma Shrine : 

Where would you expect to find a 800 year old temple ,with inscriptions in ancient scripts talking about  grants  and settlement of agricultural dues ? Certainly not in a  busy residential layout with laundry fluttering  in the balconies of matchbox -stack- apartments and  shops offering cellphone recharge .....and the garbage collection truck  tactfully skirting an enormous monolithic garuda sthamba standing in the middle of the forking road. Domlur , it is. And above  a stairway, right behind the sthamba, the centuries old monument. Completely redone ofcourse. But , retaining  whatever could be salvaged after early 20th century urbanisation had dealt a merciless blow to it . The inscriptions are there. The pillars, with their curious motifs ,are there. Individual blocks, bits and pieces, are all there, fitted prudently into the modern structure....ok, so they  had to  fix the gate in a rather awkward way, closing on the face of some...

Vasantha Vallabharaya Temple, Vasanthapura, Bangalore Rural. You read about 'an ancient monument' , note that it is located on a hillock with valleys around it , its vast extent , of kings , sages ,holy springs, divine dreams and stuff. You get a mental picture . Imagination runs amok. And , you HAVE to visit it. But dreams are made to fall apart .............. Late Chola period temple to Vishnu . Fully redone.  Hillocks, valleys all reduced to urban sprawl, so the setting is nothing to sing about.  Only the sanctum seems old, and a few bas relief panels on the pillars of the porch. Oil painted walls . And a very new cement Rishi in a small  kitschy alcove. Shayanotsavam going on at 10 am ! Ladies singing to a dazzling god on a razzle dazzle swing . Quite an eyeful . Giant sized sweet balls as offering, highlighted with some dancing disco lights focussed on them. The Dwarapalakas are well dressed and decorated, looking quite lovely. (Wanted to photograph the beau...

TIPU's SUMMER PALACE , Fort, Bangalore The first impression : Its so modest, for a royal retreat ! Designed somewhat like the Dariya Daulat palace in Srirangapatna , this one is smaller, has fewer rooms and fewer decoration. Flooring is simple grey stone, no fancy mosaics.   The mouldings of the pillar capitals  looks elegant , reminding of some central Asian  structure , can't  put my finger on it. The best feature here is the mural art. The colour scheme and floral designs are exquisite . But sadly, peeling, chipped and marred by graffiti .     Pictures ( modern replicas and prints  of  old engravings ) from the time of Tipu are exhibited in the ground floor , along with some Tipu memorabilia, including a rocket . Ofcourse there's a replica of that mauling Tiger toy too ! The  picture of the famous throne is an eyeful . Reportedly, the Brits broke up this magnificent artefact and sold it off  by  bits and pieces a...