Ikkeri is a quaint and small village near Sagara of Shivamogga district. Once it was the second capital of Keladi Nayakas, for 120 years. Some say Chaudappa Nayaka shifted the capital in 1512 for reasons unknown. It is said he built a fort, palace, treasury, elephant stable, etc. None of them are present now but for the Aghoreshwara Temple. And some say this temple was built by his successor Sadashiva Nayaka who was known for his military prowess. It is he who moved the capital from Keladi to Ikkeri. He was a great patron of religious structures and art. Third capital was Nagara (Bidanur) where Shivappa Nayaka ascended to throne and the fourth and final capital was Kaveledurga where Rani Chennamma was coronated. The Ph.D. chap we met at the museum in Keladi gave us the insight about all of this. The uneven terrain of Malnadu helped the Keladi rulers to build a strong fortresses amidst the western ghats.
The very first thing catches the eye is Nandi shrine in the axis of the main temple. Kids were trying to crawl through the space formed by the folded leg of the Nandi. Tarun shared his experience as a kid trying out the same. Now there is a sign board that restricts this misadventure. But who is to stop the enthusiastic kids who were unaccompanied by parents in this tiny space? The statue of Nandi is a brilliant work of architecture, though not as huge as the Nandi of Lepakshi. The detailing is done to perfection and the statue shimmered like glass in the bright afternoon light.
Aghoreshwara temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The architecture was done in Chalukya-Hoysala-Vijayanagara style using granite. The interior and exterior walls and ceilings were well adorned, yet not overly decorated. One could find many erotic figurines on the outer walls. One more peculiar thing about this temple is it does not have a gopura, but a arch, which could be Nayaka's own style of architecture. The bright pink colour hues are another distinct feature we must say. We were curious to know Whether it was a coat of pain or was this stone's original colour. Old Kannada inscriptions also can be found in the temple walls. The temple complex also houses small shrines dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Subrahmanya, Goddess Akhilandeshwari, etc. This temple has pradakshina patha with an antarala.
It is documented Italian traveler Pietro della Valle visited Ikkeri in 1623 during the reign of Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka. participated in the temple festival in which women danced to the beats of Kolata (a traditional folk dance). Until a decade ago Ikkeri Utsava, a cultural festival was held to celebrate the performing arts and dance forms of India.
The friend who accompanied us was getting restless to get out of here. His explanation was he has seen the temple thousand times before. He was overwhelmed by our energy and tempo. We doubt he is ever going to hang around with us anytime soon. Understanding his plight we resolved to head out from the venue. We saw many non-Hindus appreciate the architecture and beauty of the temple.
Myth: On the outer wall there are two lizards separated by a line and a scorpio. It is said when two lizards touch each other the world comes to an end and the scorpio is there to prevent lizards from doing so. This myth is quite popular among the crowd.
And Ikkeri means two streets in Kannada.
Tips
Route: Bangalore-Tumkur-Tiptur-Arasikere-Kadur-Shimoga-Sagar-Ikkeri
Nearest Railway station: Shimoga and Sagar
Nearest Airport: Mangalore
Road: Ikkeri is well-connected by road. Ikkeri is located at a distance of 6 Km from the Sagara. There are many buses ply from various towns in Karnataka to Sagara.
Entry Fee: None.
Best Time: June-February
Clubbing: Jog Falls, Honnemaradu, Keladi, Sigandoor
Place to Stay: Sagara. There are few decent hotels in Sagara.
The Adventurers–A Wilderness School is a nonprofit organization promoting outdoor learning, environmental conservation and social development for over two-and-a-half decades now. Working in cohesion with Government, like-minded public and the indigenous population of the Western Ghats, the organisation is directly involved in the conservation and development of Natural areas. With the ultimate goal to restore the natural harmony in the Western Ghats region, the organisation seeks to raise public awareness about environmental issues. Leading people through adventure activities such as trekking, rock climbing, aqua sports the aim is to inspire people to question their attitudes towards nature and catalyses them to be more environmentally friendly.
Indian Institute for Adventure Applications, Honnemardu, Sagar Taluk, Shimoga
Indian Institute for Adventure Applications, Honnemardu is a training institute in the wilderness, which emphasizes on outdoor learning. In agreement with The Adventurers’ philosophy of co-existence with nature, an aqua sport center was set up at Honnemardu in 1992. Situated on the banks of the Sharavathy, on the Linganamakki reservoir, its location makes it an ideal blend of adventure sports and nature studies. IIAA promotes outdoor learning, environmental conservation, social and cultural development through adventure sport and eco-tourism activities.
NOTE:
-Minimum number of participants are twelve members. If the group is less than twelve they should be ready to join another group.
-We do not operate programmes less than two days.
Tentative Program Schedule:
Day 1
Arrival
Campus Orientation
Life Jacket Drill
Paddling strokes
Coracling
Lunch
Island camping (weather permitting)
Campfire
Day 2
Return to the Mainland
Breakfast
Trek to Bheemana Hejje
Lunch
Canoeing activity
Timing:
Please Report at campus not before 9.00 AM on first day. Programme closes not later than 5.00 PM on Second day.
Activities will be subject to change depending on all situations.
Facilities on the Trek:
Sleeping accommodation is basic. Foam mats will be provided.
Drinking water is from the well and the streams of the Western Ghats
No electricity on the trek.
Will be staying in the villages.
Emphasis of all activity is outdoors
What to Bring:
2 sets of clothing
Bed sheet
Swimming costume
Walking Shoes and Sandals (well worn)
Plate, spoon and tumbler ( No disposables Please)
Water bottle (at least one liter)
Torch
Toilet kit
Penknife
Towel
Notepad and Pen
Sweater/Jacket & Monkey Cap
Sun cap
Sewing Kit, Rubber Bands, Safety Pins
Some Rules to Follow:
No Smoking or Alcoholic Drinks
No Littering around the campus
No soap permitted in the water-mass.
No electronic gadgets (music systems including Walkman and Ipods)
No chewing gum
Helpful Hints:
Carry all your belongings in a backpack with no loose stitches and faulty buckles
For your convenience, please pack only what is necessary
Please do not bring jewelry
Wrist watches are not necessary 0
Program Fee:
The program fee for the same will be Rs 3000 per person. We will request the program fee in Advance. All participants will have to necessarily fill and sign the application form in hard copy.
Contact The Below For Updated Fee and Details:
Nomito Kamdar
9449004748
Dr. SLN Swamy
9448485508
E-mail: athonnemaradu@gmail.com
"Kingdom of Wonder Feel the Warmth"
We were busy collecting the luggage once we got down from the bus in Siem Reap. It was almost 7 o'clock in the evening. A boyish looking man approached us offering tuk-tuk service to drop us to the hotel. We have read enough material online about hiring tuk-tuk driver in Cambodia, Kingdom of wonder as their tourist tagline goes. He seemed soft-spoken, energetic, and could speak decent English to boot. After negotiating hard and smartly (as we would like to believe) we hired Blak as our tuk-tuk driver for four days including pickup and drop off service. He agreed to meet us at the hotel lobby the next morning at 7. Due to our late night shenanigans we were little late to arrive the next morning. Our thought was anyhow Blak wouldn't be here on time. How wrong we were? It must be the first time we had to apologize to somebody for being late. First we thought about going to the farthest point, that is Kbal Spean. The journey was memorable. It reminded us so much of Goa. When we explained to him what are all the places we would like to go he just smiled nodding his head. Later we realized the secret behind that smile. Angkor Wat and it's complex is HUGE. As the day moved forward our enthusiasm slowly declined.
That evening we wanted to attend Beatocello concert. We invited Blak to join us. Initially he was hesitant, but later accompanied us. Being a Cambodian he isn't aware of this show. It's always the traveler who knew about these details because he/she does research before visiting a place. At the end of the show he had tears in his eyes. We weren't that emotional because we are outsiders. We can understand what Cambodian went through during Khemer rouge (Choeung Ek Genocidal Center & Killing Field) and later days, but only a Cambodian can feel the pain and hardship he/she had to endure.
Blak is a hardcore football fan and if we could remember correctly he even named his son after some football player. He told us about his family, home, wedding, and about his kid. When he showed us the family picture we could see the pride and love he has for his family. And his wife is totally gorgeous.
He has seen few Indian movies dubbed into Khmer (Cambodian language). As it is common he knew about Amitabh Bachchan. He was joyous to explain the scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire where a kid dives into the shit hole to get a glimpse of Mr. Bachchan. He enjoyed a few south Indian action movies too. He was amused when we explained India has many languages and film industries too.
He was friendly, cool, and full of energy. He wanted us to suggest how to improve his business, which we did to our best of knowledge. He picked and dropped us wherever we wanted to go without any complaints.
While dropping us off to the bus station we invited him to come to India and he said he will one day. He invited us to visit Cambodia again with little Tarun. We would like visit Siem Reap again for Blak, Pub street, and the Angkor complex.
Contact Details:
Blak Nouern
Phone Number: +855977438028
E-mail: blaknouern@gmail.com
Once upon a time a demon named Bakasura lived near the city of Ekachakra. There was a compromise between the king and Bakasura. That is, king will send large portion of provisions daily along with a man. Bakasura being the demon he is, used to devour the whole food supply as well as the accompanied man. Pandavas and their mother Kunti were in exile in the same city. Hearing the plea of the Brahmin family they were staying in, Kunti decides that one of her sons will go to Bakasura with food supply. Bhima was chosen for this special task as he was the strongest. Bhima stated off to forest with all the supplies. On the way he finished off all the food because Bhima himself is a glutton. This infuriates Bakasura to no end and a fight ensues between them, and Bhima kills Bakasura.
We mentioned this story because Belavadi was known to legend as Ekachakranagara. And we are in Belavadi's Veera Narayana Temple. We have known Belavawadi as a second name of two artists siblings, Sudha Belawadi and Prakash Belawadi. There was a popular warrior queen named Belawadi Mallamma too. However, that was Belawadi with 'W' instead of 'V' and that Belawadi is in Belagaum district of Karnataka. We digress.
We could see the three steeple from our car as we waited for the big bunch of school kids to cross the roads. But they weren't going inside the temple. We overheard them shouting ganapathi temple. We sighed in relief because clearly we wanted the whole temple for ourselves. Yeah! We are selfish like that. And we are the one who later complain about the beautiful monument being deserted. Either hypocrisy or bipolar. We parked the vehicle adjacent to a house.
As expected the temple complex was totally abandoned.
Nothing short in beauty or elegance, this magnificent Hoysala temple was built in 1200 C.E. by erstwhile Hoysala king Veera Ballala 2. This is said to be one of the largest temples of Hoysala dynasty. The complex contains three shrines, Veera Narayana, Venugopala, and Yoga Narasimha, all the three having their own tower, hence it is called trikuta style. The tall image of Narayana (8 ft) with four hands is considered as one of the best examples of Hoysala art. Venugopala (Krishna with flute) is 8 feet tall and Yoga Narasimha (meditation pose is 7 feet tall). The open Mantapa is vast, expansive, and sweepingly immense. This space has a total of 37 bays. The two closed mantapas have 13 and 9 bays respectively. The shining pillars are lathe-turned and bell shaped. Inner walls of shrine are plain, but roofs are well adorned. The temple is made out of soap stone as that is the building materials of Hoysala architecture. All the towers are decorated magnificently with sculpture.
Even though its close proximity to Halebidu this temple is not ransacked by invaders. It might be because of its remote location or its less popularity. We would say Veera Narayana Temple of Belavadi comes under top 10 in the Hoysala trails (Belur, Halebidu, Mosale, Amruthapura) that we started doing and will update them as and when they are done.
Tips
Getting there:
Bangalore-Kunigal-Yadiyur-Hirisave-Channarayapatna-Hassan-Halebidu-Belavadi
If you more than three days you can club it with Belur, Halebidu, Shettihalli Church, Mosale, Shravanabelagola.
Total Distance-230 KM
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun-09:00-05:00
Entry Fee: Free
Best Time: October-February
No parking. It is better to park the bigger vehicles in the main road
