ADHVAGATI

It was heartening to note that all the people whom we stopped on the way to ask for directions to Govindanahalli were aware of , and even proud of , The Panchalingeswara Temple . But though " Gavinalli Panchalinga" ( as pronounced locally) is well known within K.R.Pete district, this ASI protected monument has little publicity outside . Too bad. Of the many Hoysala temples, this shrine , dated 1238 AD, is unique. While most Hoysala shrines have eka- , dwi- or tri- kuta vimanas, this one is Pancha kuta, with five towers . And in another radical departure, they are all lined up in a row and not around a central vestible. It definitely looks different, though the pillars, decorative figures and the tiered pagodas bear the unmistakable hoysala stamp. It has a single cell and this is a long pillared corridor, with five shrines to the five forms of Shiva placed in a row ( Ishana, Tatpurusha, Vamana, Aghora and Sadyojatha ) Each shrine has its own Nandi...

We had no plans to explore beyond HosaHolalu as we had no clue what to search for and where. Besides, the grandeur of the HH edifice had left us satiated.....or so we thought. Just before we left, the ASI man who had guided us around it urged us to visit Kikkeri , which , he said, had an older and equally marvelous temple less than 15 kms. away on the Channarayapatna road ! His words ignited our curiosity and off we went, excited at the prospect of discovering another gem. Kikkeri turned out to be bigger than a village, smaller than a town and with a bustling crowd of busy looking locals who gave three different directions when asked about " the temple". One trader ,nodding wisely, insisted what we were looking for was Kikkeramma temple ." Temple in kikkeri " would obviously mean the one dedicated to the guardian deity. But kikkeramma sounded very un-hoysala so we just sailed on for a block and enquired again. A gent in an ox cart questioned ,...

Think Hoysala Art and Architecture, the immediate recall is of the gloriously ornamented soapstone sundaris  and  the star shaped plinth of the temples of Belur and Halebid. M ysoreans would throw in a Somanathapur  and a Talakkad , perhaps.  But it comes as a surprise to learn that at the height of Hoysala temple building frenzy, between 11th and 14th. century, close to 1500 temples with the signature style (of lathe turned pillars, star shaped plinth, multi tiered friezes, profusely ornamented human forms and stellate vimanas) were built in the Deccan Plateau.  Of which a 100 are reported to survive in various states of repair. A hundred ? ! Thats news ! There I was , totally ignorant of the existence of any beyond five. The above mentioned four were done a dozen times. The only other name,  Nuggehalli , has always been in the bucket list, but the distance from home makes it a destination to plan for in advance and being of no urgent value, it keeps...

My most favorite tickets are from CHINA . Colourful, large, glossy and in a couple of instances, quite unique. 1. This is the ticket to the famous BEIJING ZOO that successfully breeds pandas in captivity. 2. A longish, banner like ticket for The Temple Of Heaven , in Beijing : 3. A laminated card ticket for The Mausoleum of the Qin Emperor, in Xian, which contains the famous army of Terracotta Warriors: 4. Front and back of the Souvenir Card Ticket to Ding Ling Museum , also known as the Thirteen Ming Tombs in ChangPing County. 5. A six inches long ticket for The Forbidden City ( Aka: Palace Museum in Beijing), with coppery gold border. 6. Front and back of the ticket card to Dayan Pagoda, popular as " Big Wild Goose Pagoda " in Xian, Shaanxi province. ____________________ 7. The ticket to see a portion of The Great Wall , the Badaling section, is in the form of a booklet. The front cover can be detached and sent as a post card ( prepaid) . The middle page ...

During childhood, few people escape measles . And the " Collection" fever ! I had a collection of match-box labels and one of picture post cards. Along the years, the stuff vanished, but not the hangover . When traveling became frequent, I started collecting the admission tickets issued at various sightseeing spots, much to the discomfiture of the ever practical spouse. And I achieved quite a handsome collection ! Recently, I spring-cleaned the trove in the shoebox and discarded the very old, illegible and tattered slips, retaining only those I couldn't bear to throw away. Sharing some here : This ticket was for one of the many canal cruises we have taken in Amsterdam . Depending on the agency from whom we purchased the trip, the tickets varied from small, functional printouts to pamphlet sized mini posters. This one is somewhere in between, with a nice picture and a helpful list of the stops . As it is a card , it will not get torn or dog- eared easily, ...

Darasuram is one of the three " Great Living Chola Temples " given the UNESCO  World Heritage Site tag for being the repository of glorious Chola Art and Architecture . The huge Airavateshwara Complex , built by Rajaraja II ( 12th Cent), is an outstanding open museum which demands that we spend at least two whole days examining and admiring each and every block of stone, to do any justice to its grandeur. The innumerable stone figures populating this exquisite storehouse of religious art each have individuality in expressions and demeanor. Each visit is a voyage of discovery for everytime, some new detail comes to notice. For one thing, since those bad old days of shameful neglect , something has been done to renovate and spruce up the monuments in the complex. That is a great Plus. Consequently, its rating in the tourist circuit has gone up, so that more and more people are getting to appreciate the treasures it holds. However the minus points is that...

A four day engagement took us to "Steel City" Salem last week. Though barely 210 kms. from Bangalore, via NH 7, Salem was a Hotplate to Bangalore's Aircooler clime, thanks to a summer that had set in early and in right earnest too. Being three quarters surrounded by high mountains does not in any way cool down this bustling industrial town ( Salem is famous for Steel,Textiles, Sago , Bauxite, Silversmithy and Mangoes). The name Salem is derived from Shailam , meaning "Mountains". As the prospect of spending 4 days there did not seem so inviting, we headed to the nearest hills, from where we could easily come down for the two functions that needed attending. So, to YERCAUD. Located 1515 meters above sea-level in the Shevaroy Range of hills in the Eastern Ghats , Yercaud is a small wooded (" Kaadu") hillstation clustering around a Lake (" Yeri"), tagged as "Poor Man's Ooty ". Climate here is moderate throughout the yea...