the light baggage

Overview: Yelahanka’s history goes parallel to Bengaluru’s past. After the Hoysala rule, Yelahanka was ruled by Hiriya Kempegowda, who later moved to Bengaluru to set up a new capital. Yelahanka Nadaprabhus, as the Kempegowdas were called were originally the Palegars of Yelahanka. The legend has it that once Kempegowda was out hunting, he saw a hare chasing a dog, and hence he was so amazed with this sight that he called the land as ‘Heroic Land’. The exact place however, coincides with Kodigehalli, north west of Hebbal. In fact, the adjoining village of Kodigehalli, which happens to be Kempegowda’s maternal home, was known as HaleBengaluru or ‘Old Bengaluru’. So he named his new capital as Bengaluru (This is one of the many theories, though not conclusively proven fact). An inscription at Kodigehalli records the gifting of the village Virupakshapura to the Someshwara temple at Shivanasamudra, which coincides with modern Hesaraghatta, on the occasion of a solar eclipse on 8-Aug-1431...

Overview: Kadugodi, now at the heart of construction activities, was once an agrahara during the Cholas, and was known as Kadamangalam. In the 1342 CE Hoysala inscriptions found at Pattandur, this place is called as Kadugodi Sthala. In the heart of the village is the ancient Kashi Vishwanatha temple, and the deity is mentioned as Bangishwaram or Vangishwaram Udaiyar. Several inscriptions have been found in the temple, one of which speaks of a grant from Kulothunga Chola in 1150 CE.  In those days, this temple used to be on the banks of the river Dakshina Pinakini, which was active until as late as 1940s, and the British also built a bridge in Kadugodi over Dakshin Pinakini, and is still named as the British Bridge. Another ancient temple in Kadugodi is the Anjaneya temple, built in 1407 CE by Mallisetti. Kadugodi is also popular for Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram, established in 1960 by Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi. It was the place where the Baba used to spend his summer months every...

Overview: Konaseema is one of the most beautiful regions of Andhra Pradesh, with lush green paddy fields and wide and always filled up Godavari river. I happened to visit Amalapuram in Oct 2019 for a friend's wedding, so thought of exploring this beautiful region by a self driven car. We hired a self-driven rental car from Viyawada and after breakfast and a quick visit to Undavalli caves, we headed towards Amalapuram. After crossing Tanuku, the landscape changed drastically, with lush green paddy fields all around and the river flowing on the other side. The looks on the faces of the locals was also very pleasant. The Government is also doing its bit to promote tourism in this region, the most popular one being the Papikondalu tour, and river cruises at Dindi. Konaseema We first visited the Adduru Stupa, near Amalapuram, which dates back to the 2nd century BCE. It is claimed that the foundation stone for this Stupa was laid by Ashoka's daughter, Sanghamitra. Due to som...

Overview: Modern Shivajinagar area is named after Chatrapati Shivaji as he visited this place during his brother's rule in the 17th century. During Kempegowda's times, this area primarily was inhabited by farmers who cultivated rice, hence the British, who came and ruled here later, named this area as 'Blackpalli'-  probably derived from 'BiliAkki Palli'. However, there are a few more theories explaining the naming of this place. The most prominent landmark of Shivajinagar is the St Mary’s Basilica. This is the oldest catholic church in Bangalore, existing since 1685 when a small chapel was built. St Mary's Basilica Shivajinagar area is bordered by Fraser Town, Ulsoor and Cantonment areas, making it one of the areas in Bangalore with heritage tag. Elgin Talkies, which was recently closed down, was once the hub of entertainment in the 1800s and 1900s. Started as a stage theatre, it grown into the stature of talkies in 1930s. An old 19th century inscri...