the light baggage

Overview: We heard of Virupakshi in the Mulbagal tourism website and wanted to visit this. Its around 4kms from Mulbagal town and has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which has the architecture similar to the temple in Hampi. We reached Virupakshi in the afternoon so the temple was closed. But we got enough time to appreciate the temple architecture and design. It is believed that on certain days, the sun rays fall directly on the Shiva Linga in the Sanctum Sanctorum. This temple belongs to the Vijayanagara period and was built in the 12th century. We also saw a small shrine dedicated to Lord Venugopalaswamy inside the temple complex. There is also a tank(Kalyani) outside which is now in a sorry state.             Nearby we went to Bangaru Tirupati temple which is around 6 kms from Bethamangala. This temple is a miniature version of the Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati. There is a huge tank where people were having a dip. We have...

Overview: Silently Hidden on the top of a hillock belonging to the Shatashringa range is a very old temple dedicated to Lord Gowri Gangadheeshwara. Though the temple is in ruins, the structure still holds the beauty and reflects the beauty of the architecture of some of the ancient dynasties of South India. This temple was originally built by the Gangas around 1200 years ago, then was taken over by the Cholas and the Vijayanagar rulers. The temple can be reached by foot or by road which leads right up to the temple at the top. The climb to the top by foot is very exciting with odd shaped rocks and some old mantapas and some small ruined temples on the way. Not to mention the breathtaking view of the Kolar city which can be experienced all through the ascent. The local villagers also use the same path to climb up and down the hill. We anyway went by car all through to the top.       The entrance to the temple is through a huge gopuram which is probably now ha...

  Please Click here to read the main post Overview: The road from Kadiri to Gandikota traverses through varied landscapes. At certain places we could see barren land spread across miles together and the next moment we see greenery and sunflower blooming giving a pleasing look. At one point we saw a small bridge cutting a rocky terrain with a temple hiding between the rocks. A small waterfall could also be seen behind the temple flowing in the westward direction.        Around 1km before reaching Jammalamadugu town, there is a deviation to the left which leads to Gandikota. The roads are really narrow and rough and its good that at least they are laid and the drive is not so uncomfortable. Just before reaching the fort, there is a resort run by APTDC with AC/Non-AC rooms and Dormitory as well.   We proceeded further and entered the historic fort. We could see the fort walls around us and soon we could see the tall Gopuram of the Madhavarayaswamy temple....