the light baggage

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...

This Post is a part of the Hoysala Diary. Please Click here to read the main post Overview: From Turuvekere we reached Aralaguppe passing through the beautiful countryside. Aralaguppe also has a number of old temples, one of which is the Keshava temple which we visited. The temple can be easily reached and one does not get the crowd to disturb as it is not known to many people. Built on a 4ft platform, the temple is carved exquisitely with sculptors of animals, dancers and many deities, also many carvings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata. The interiors of the temple also has beautiful carvings and the beautiful idol of Keshava.           References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aralaguppe How to reach: By Car: We started from Bangalore taking the Bangalore-Mangalore road, before Bellur Cross, watch out for a sign board indicating Turuvekere. Turn left and reach Turuvekere. From there proceed towards Aralaguppe, from the...

Overview: After seeing a documentary on the Shiva temple at Gargeshwari, my parents wanted to visit that place once. We set off towards Gargeshwari on a bright Sunday morning. The drive to the temple was very scenic with agricultural fields all around and lot of greenery. We reached Gargeshwari in around 1.5 hrs from Bangalore. The temple is known for the Udbhavamurthy stone of Ardhanareeshwara. One more attraction here is the Yanthrodharaka Mahaganapathi which is around 5-6 kgs and its said to have miraculous powers. If any devotee has something in mind and successfully lifts the idol then whatever question he had in mind has a positive response and on the other hand if he fails to lift it then it is meant as a negative response.         T Narasipura is known for the Narsimhaswamy temple belonging to the Vijayanagara period. Situated at the confluence of 3 rivers - Kaveri, Kapila and Spatika Sarovara, the temple stands tall on the banks and is visited by ...