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,...

GANGAIKONDACHOLEESWARAM :  The name seems actually longer than the little town end to end .  The Second of the GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES celebrated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . And justly so . What Rajendra-I achieved , first as a co-ruler with his father Rajaraja and later as Emperor, is truly unparalleled in history of South India , as glorious as the best in India and as note worthy as any in the world of historic times . It is just unfortunate that not much press was given to him in our country's history books , either due to  poor initiative by southern historians or the preoccupation of pan Indian writers with Empires only north of The Vindhya Mountains. It is only now that there has been a rise , with a vengeance, in outpouring of pride and love for the Imperial Cholas , their achievements, their arts and Culture.  We know from documented evidence , that the great king Raja Raja Cholan was not quite in his prime when he finally inherited the Chola empire...

South Indian region is fairly crowded with temples , big and small, Tamil Nadu  being especially rich in such built heritage - almost one temple cropping up every two or three kilometers as one traverses its roads.   Each settlement  preserves its oral traditions about its origin as a shared memory ; often a defining  episode of  some local significance .  Sthala Puranas , though primarily of Puranic content , borrow lots of elements from  such local traditions too. Hence each local purana is unique though the over all template can be common with many others .  For instance , the most famous template is the story of  The Cow voluntarily letting out  her milk over a mound that eventually reveals a hidden lingam . Who the cow belonged to, how the ablution was discovered and who raised the temple over the found lingam are variables unique to each different place.  Another common motif in Sthala Puranas , is The Dream , in which Go...

Ramanathapura  Visited  a  biodiversity hotspot called  Ramanathapura  Fish Sanctuary    in  Arkalgud  Taluk , Hassan Dist . A variety of fish species facing threat of  extinction  are  protected  here  and propagation is facilitated. On arriving there , was pleasantly  pleasantly  surprised to  see  that  the sanctuary is not a tank or artificial pond, but  a  river bank   (  Vahni   Pushkarini  ) associated with a pilgrimage point  called  Rameshwara swami   Temple .  The  temple  stands on the bank of  Kaveri  , has stone  steps leading to the river, which at this point is considered a holy “   theertha  “  . The  fish here  have  always  been, by tradition, protected  as sacred to the Lord.   Fishing  has  always been prohibited and Pilgrims earn Merit, by ...

  Looking beyond the usual Touristy sites of glamorous Bangkok :  At the street level ,  people are friendly and helpful , especially the hardworking women , though they dont smile much .  Some vignettes linger on in  memory :   Barbie-pink cabs ; noisy motorbike taxis ; chaotic traffic ; low hanging cables, in bunches ;   Brightly painted chubby monk statuettes with a bowl for  offerings , small plastic dolls, animal figures ( zebras ! why ?),  soft drink cartons etc left at the foot of any wayside shrine What happens to all those heaps of offerings ?  The magical appearance and disappearance of food vending kiosks at noon time on the pavements in residential localities  Shrines in the most unlikeliest places ; every nook and corner , each one popular for a particular reason like one could get you a driving license pronto, one could give success in a love affair , one to push through files easily in a government office , whate...