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Showing posts from 2012

Around Shimoga - 1: Jog Falls, Keladi & Ikkeri

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   Overview: Visiting the Jog falls in monsoons was always my wish. Luckily my friend from Shimoga got married in August. But unfortunately it didn't rain as it usually does in 2009. Nonetheless, as we had to visit Shimoga, we chalked out a separate plan to visit a few places around Shimoga. Took the night train to Shimoga from Bangalore and reached early in the morning at around 6am. First in the list was Jog Falls. Didn't want to miss that. So started after having breakfast at friend's place. Shimoga is surrounded by tourist places. We were aware of this so didn't want to plan beyond Jog Falls as there is a never ending list of places beyond that. We did want to cover everything on the way though. We reached the Jog at around 12pm and it was very cloudy. We could see decent amount of water but not the best of Jog Falls. There are 4 falls next to each other named 'Raja', 'Rani', 'Roarer' and 'Rocket'. This happens to be the second hi

Gurudwara Nanak Jhira, Bidar

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Overview: The legend is that when Baba Guru Nanak visited Bidar around 500 years ago, he was moved by the plight of the people of Bidar who didn't have proper drinking water and the rains were also scarce in this region. So he uttered the words 'Sat Kartar' and removed a stone and to the surprise of everyone, water came gushing out of earth and till this date the spring has been providing clean drinking water to the people in Bidar. This holy place is called Nanak Jhira. Food is provided as 'Langar' for lunch and dinner inside the Gurudwara for all pilgrims.      For accessibility and route details please see the main post – Bidar: An interesting place at the northern tip of Karnataka

Jharni Narasimhaswamy temple, Bidar

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Overview: One of Karnataka's best kept secrets is the Jharni Narasimaswamy temple in Bidar. An ancient temple dedicated to Narasimhaswamy situated around 5 kms from Bidar town, its a natural cave temple. The water flows down from Lord Narasimhaswamy's feet and joins Manjeera river and further leads to Singur dam in Andhra Pradesh. A marvel in itself, the pilgrims have to make their way through the water inside the cave to reach the deity of Narasimhaswamy. The water is around 3 feet deep and the cave is infested with Bats and insects. This temple is open from 7am to 6pm. Locker facilities are provided outside the cave for the pilgrims. This is one of its kind temple in Southern India and is a good place to visit.        For accessibility and route details please see the main post – Bidar: An interesting place at the northern tip of Karnataka

Bidar Fort: Living Marvel of the Bahamani Sultanate…

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Overview: One of the most formidable forts in India, built across a huge area in the town of Bidar was built by Bahamani Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1426-32 AD. Though many of the walls are in ruins, it stands tall and still gives an idea how secure it was from inside in case of an attack. The entrance of the fort is beautifully decorated and has massive doors leading to the interior of the fort. The fort also has tunnels and underground passageways which are closed for public now. Inside the fort premises there is an office belonging to archaeological department. Outside the office, various mutilated carvings have been displayed which belong to the Rashtrakuta dynasty which flourished in these regions. Inside the fort also there is a Mosque called Solah Khambh mosque which is believed to be the oldest in Bidar. Another interesting monument in the fort is the Gagan Mahal or a heavenly place. The palace has two courts, Diwan-e Aam for the common people and the inner court, Diwan-e-Khaas for