A friend recommended Alamparai Fort when we were planning our trip to Chennai and Mahabalipuram. Our late night hubbub at Besant Beach made us to sleep for a little longer in the day. It was a strenuous task to get out of Chennai in the peak hour. We heard driving through East Coast Road is one time experience. We could hardly spot beach and Bay of Bengal on our left side because of the upcoming hotels, luxury resorts, all and sundry. Actually we should be blamed for having high expectations. We wanted it to be just as spectacular as highway passing through Arabian Sea and Souparnika river of Maravanthe, a quaint coastal village in Udupi District, Karnataka. More on that later.
Info: The ruins of Alamparai Fort is huddled near Kadappakkam, a village 50 km from Mahabaliburam. Original fort was built in the Mughal era in 17th century, though it is unclear whether it came under the direct rule of Mughals considering the distance. Nawab Doste Ali Khan ruled in 1935 AD. He could have been a vassal to Delhi sultanate. From this seaport items like zari, salt, ghee, and cloth were exported. It is said Nawab of Arcot controlled the fort for a brief period of time. In 1750 Subedar Muzarfarzang gifted the fort to French commander Duplex appreciating his services. French lost the Carnatic war to British in 1970 AD. When it came under the direct control of British, they demolished the fort. However, the massive destruction occurred when Tsunami hit the Indian Ocean in 2004.
Apart from dilapidated walls the fort is entirely in ruins. We heard the snoozy sea lap gently across the shore. Few fishermen playing cards just gave us a curious look and went back to their business in a second. Small boats were docked adjacent to the fort. This must be the original harbour of the past. Backwaters and sea parts way on a chunk of small white sand. A handful of palm trees were stretched around. Wandering around for a bit we headed over to backwater boating.
After the power packed visit through the history of Malacca of which only the name was known to us till then, we thought of cooling off our heels, and felt the banks of river with cool breeze will help us rejuvenate after a long humid day.
A short walk through the street along the river bank lead us to a bright coloured street art. The walls of various shophouses and guest houses became the canvases of artists. The graffiti artists transformed the entire drab blocks into a stunning landscape. Is it true art reflects the chaos inside the artist?
A legend has it Sumatran Prince Parameshwara was catnapping under a Melaka tree (Indian Gooseberry) on the banks of river in between a hunting expedition. A commotion jolted him up from the nap. One of his hunting dogs was trying to attack a mouse deer. In retaliation the deer pushed the dog into the river. An idea struck exactly at that moment and he decides to built an empire in that very place, considering it as an auspicious sign. Weak mouse deer's valor reinstated his confidence in himself. He built his royal residence along the east side of river embankment. And called the beloved city as Melaka (remember Gooseberry tree!), and the river Melaka as well.
European sailors nicknamed Melaka River as "Venice of the East". In late 16th century it was the major hub for European and Asian traders because of the strategical presence of Melaka Straits. The river even feeds into Straights. The river passes through various colonial buildings, old bridges, shops, hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, classic monuments, and pubs at a stretch of 10 kilometers.
The banks of the river Melaka comes to life as the sun sets in the Melaka straights. Soft lights glowed brightly in the night. Ripple of waves from passing cruise on one side and blasting music on another set the ambiance right for a perfect evening. And we ended the perfect day letting our hair down with a mug of beer.
An impromptu decision took us to Kotilingeshwara Temple, Kolar Gold Fields on a weekend. This must be the first trip we had in a whim. The decision was taken at 12 noon and we were on our way at around 1 0'clock. It was one of cousins birthday. Two of them joined us along with mother who is staying with us for a few days. Cloudy weather made us to anticipate rain. The traffic was moving in a snail's pace. As our destination was only visiting this temple, we weren't in a rush either. Over good conversation and gloomy climate we reached the place within 2 hours. However the little glitch was GPS's erratic behaviour, so we had to ask a few people for direction.
Info: Swami Samba Shiva Murthy had a vision in dreams to build a temple with one crore linga. In 1981 he built the first linga in a sprawling 15 acres property in a quaint village Kammasandra near Kolar Gold Fields.
Commercialization screamed out from every inch of the temple. Names of the devotees who instated the Linga were inscribed in the signboards. Splashed colours of blue, red, green, and yellow in the background of installed Lingas brightens up the whole place. We should really appreciate the idea though.
There are many small shrines like Lord Venkateshwara, Panduranga Swamy Temple, Panchamuki Ganapathi Temple, Aanjaneya Temple, Kannikaparameshwari Temple, Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva Temple, etc. We were forced to enter and exit each and every temple because ropes were tied around and this was the only way to walk. It is kind of normal in these kind of profit-oriented temples.
Outside Trimurthi temple we saw a woman tying a thread around a cannon ball flower tree (Naga Linga Flower). An elderly person near the temple told it is a belief that if unmarried woman ties a thread around the tree she will have a happy married life in the future.
Highlight is the 108 feet tall Linga and 35 feet tall Nandi infront of it, both raised on a huge platforms. This is known as the biggest Linga in the world. We had seen this place in various Kannada movies, but only could think of two names, Sri Manjunatha and Shivalinga for now. A small Shani Shingnapur shrine and 17 Shakthi Peethas were established on the adjutant side.
We knew it is impossible to count the 90 lakh Lingas installed here. We were discussing vehemently about the impossibility. That is when a lady in uniform approached us. Seeing us with cameras and other gadgets she was curious to know if we were from some department. Then we told her about our commonness. She was gracious enough to give all the details about the place. It was she who cleared the doubt about the numbers. She showed us a Sahasralinga, a little bigger than normal ones that is equivalent to 1000 Lingas. Lingas of that category were aplenty. Going by that logic the place indeed houses 90 lakh lingas. The installation price starts from 8000 Rs and Sahasralinga costs around 35,000. We were told more than 2 lakh devotees visit every year. And Mahashivratri is celebrated with great fanfare.
The lady we were were taking about is Mahalakshmi, a home guard, now posted as "Tourist Mitra" (friend). It is a new initiation from Karnataka Tourism Department. Their job is to educate people about the tourist places in and around their posted district. We were happy about this initiation as we always felt our state is enriched with different places, be it heritages, beaches, mountains, falls, forests. It is apt to say "One State Many Worlds". Karnataka tourism needs a little nudging in advertisement department like its neighboring states.
Tips:
Route: Bangalore-Hoskote-Kolar-Kolar Gold Fields-Kammasandra (Kotilingeshwara Temple)
Entry Fee: 20
Parking Fee: 30
Camera Fee: 100
