the light baggage

  Overview: Magadi taluk is known for lot of history and being close to Bangalore, it is easy to explore. But lot of places around Magadi are still less visited by people from other towns. Ranganathaswamy temple: This is a 11th century temple built by Chola kings which was later renovated during Vijayanagar rule. This temple has carvings inside the temple and inscriptions about the history. More details and pictures here - http://www.thelightbaggage.com/2011/06/rock-climbing-series-i.html Someshwara temple: This has resemblance to the Someshwara temples at Ulsoor and the one in Kolar. So this must be initially built by the Cholas and later expanded by Kempegowda. There is also a watch tower built by Kempegowda which is similar to the Kempegowda towers in Bangalore.           Fort: The walls of the fort built by Kempegowda can still be seen near the bus stand area.   Kalya caves: Around 10 kms from Magadi, we come across natur...

Overview: Wondering what to do on a Sunday, I decided to take my in-laws for a trip just out of Bangalore. We decided to go to Chikkatirupathi. It was overcast but little chances of rain. So we set off in our car. We went through Outer ring road, Sarjapura via Wipro campus, from Sarjapura village took the Chikkatirupathi road. We enjoyed the countryside and the nice cool weather complimenting it. It took a little over an hour to reach that place. Being a holiday, the temple was a bit crowded. There was some special puja happening inside the temple. We had the darshan of the Lord and offered flowers. The temple is not a very huge one but had lovely colourful gopurams. This place is known as Chikkatirupathi as it has the deity of Venkataramanaswamy and is like a miniature version of the temple in Tirupathi. We roamed around the market area around the temple and proceeded to Kalkunte Agrahara.     At Kalkunte there is a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Ranganatha Swamy ...

  Overview: Soraba in Shimoga district, named after the Holy cow Surabhi which used to milk on a stone statue of Lord Ranganatha. This place was called Surabhipura in ancient times which got changed to Soraba over centuries. We visited the Ranganathaswamy temple in Soraba which has become popular because of the legend. The temple is believed to be built by a local Gowda from Halesoraba from the bay of the river Dandavathi. Several manuscripts and inscriptions have been found near the temple supporting this.       This place is easily approachable as it is near to many tourist destinations like Banavasi, Sirsi, Chandragutti. We visited Soraba during our visit to Banavasi. The main road connecting Soraba to other towns is the main shopping area of Soraba with all facilities. How to reach: Bus: KSRTC buses ply from Bangalore to Soraba and Sirsi. By Bike/Car: Take the NH4 to reach Ranebennur, from there, take a deviation towards Soraba. Food/Accommodation: ...