the light baggage

Video Link:  https://youtu.be/Xcb6OKKA2e4 Overview: We had to attend a wedding in Hosahalli (Shimoga) in March 2021 so we thought of visiting a few places around Shimoga which we hadn't seen before. We started from Bangalore on Saturday early morning at around 6:15am and stopped for breakfast near Dabaspet. We had light breakfast and headed towards our first destination, Baggavalli, which was still around 200kms away. The drive via Hiriyur - Ajjampur was very scenic with good roads and we were surprised to see greenery even during the summer months. We reached Baggavalli at around 11:30am and were happy to see a Hoysala temple after a long time. This is a 13th century temple and dedicated to Sri Narasimhaswamy. Unfortunately, the temple was closed when we went there and the priest had gone to a nearby village. We were impressed to see most of the carvings still intact on the outer walls of the temple, and being a Vaishnava temple, we could see Dashavatara carved at multiple places...

Overview: Central Karnataka is full of historical structures revealing the glorious past of the Medeival kingdoms in South India. One such place we came across was Talagunda. Though nothing much to actually see here, this place must have been a hub during the Kadamba rule in Banavasi. A number of inscriptions have been found written in granite rock around this area.One temple that stands on the main road is the Praneshwara temple. It is known for the tall obelisk which has the story of victory inscribed in it. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it was worshipped during the Satakarni rulers and the shrine itself is believed to be constructed around 4th century. A Sanskrit inscription has been found which registers a grant of money for feeding 30 residents of Sthanakunjapura by Kakustha of the Bhatari family who was a feudatory of the Kadamba king. A few kilometers from Talagunda is a place called Togarsi which houses a temple on the top of a hill. The temple dedicated to...

Overview:   We didn't want to strain ourselves too much as there was a reception in the evening which we had to attend. So we booked a cab in the morning to head towards Teerthahalli. First place to visit was Gajanur Dam which was nice and calm. The dam is built across the Tunga river. A few kilometers from Gajanur we went to Sakrebayalu elephant training camp where they train elephants and is run by the Government. From there, we went to Mandagadde bird sanctuary. Though we could not catch any rare birds, we saw a group of pelicans in the waters.        Next we went to Kuppalli, the native place of the great poet from Karnataka, Kuvempu. Kuvempu's family home is well maintained in Kuppalli and has been converted into a museum where his songs are played throughout the day. Its a typical rural house with Thotti Mane in the living room. The kitchen and the utensils used by the family members are well preserved. The first floor has all the artifacts rec...

   Overview: In a bit of adventurous mood, we set off today from Shimoga to Kollur by a private bus. We had an early breakfast and started early at around 7:30am. Considering the distance to be around 125 kms, we were expecting to reach Kollur by 11:00. But we were surprised when the conductor said we will reach only by 12:30 pm. Though we came across a number of beautiful villages and streams, the ride was really uncomfortable. It looked like me and my wife were the only people travelling all the way from Shimoga to Kollur. We passed through Nagara which has a beautiful fort alongside the main road built by Shivappanaika which was later captured by Hyder Ali. Nagara is around 84 kms from Shimoga.      We reached Kollur at around 12:00pm as told by the conductor. The Mookambika temple is in the middle of a beautiful setting of the western ghats. it is built in Kerala style and the main deity of Mookambika was installed by Adi Shankaracharya after meditati...