Raya Gopura, Melukote

We couldn't contain our disappointment at the first sight of of Raya Gopura. We imagined it to be something more of grandeur, majestic rather than just four incomplete pillars. 

This place has been a constant film shooting location for many Indian movies over a period of time. However, song 'Barso Re' from movie Guru immortalized the site with Aishwarya Rai dancing to the tune. If we can remember correctly these are the few songs shot here: "Jenina Holeyo" from Chalisuva Modagalu; "Rakkamma" from Thalapthi; Vasthava Vasthava from Rakhi; "Dhadang Dhang Dhang" from Rowdy Rathore, and more recently 'O Baby' from Ricky.

Here the security guard/guide narrates us a fable. An artist has taken up the task of completing the pillars and a tower overnight in a contest. He and his team of workers put in heart and soul into this piece of work relentlessly. Dreading the defeat his adversaries forced the rooster to crow at 3 in the morning. Accepting his defeat the artist and his team deserted their work halfway leaving behind the incomplete pillars we see today. The huge pillars are not just assembled boulders. Each pillar is engraved meticulously with elegance. The story is scarcely credible, still we nodded along with him for his effort. 

Nowhere the time period of this monument was mentioned. Our speculation is that it would have be been built either during Hoysala or Vijayanagara time. On a first sight it looks like a half built temple. Once we climbed up the platform it reminded us of the "Navami Dibba" of Hampi. Probably this might have been a royal podium of bygone era. Until we get further archaeological and historical verification there is no harm in continuing with the rooster crowing story. The panoramic view of Melukote was quite hazy in the midday sunshine.

Having spent ample time climbing up and down, roaming around, clicking photos, and little satire we headed to Yoga Narasimha Temple.

Travel Flashback 2019

Pyramids of Giza

"Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world"-Gustave Flaubert

The travel in 2019 looked bleak and bare. Thanks to our personal predicament that kept us occupied from utilizing the most weekends. Whenever we could we did travel a bit. Goal for the year 2020 is to transit far and wide. Without much ado reflection on the year 2019 travel-wise. 

Melukote: This temple town had been immortalized in many Indian films. We unwinded on the steps of illustrious Kalyani witnessing the shooting of Kannada film "Pailwana".  An adept day trip getaway for Bangaloreans. One could give a considerable amount of time appreciating Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple, Yoganarasimha Temple, Akka Tangi Kola, Rayagopura, and Kalyani. And never forget to taste the renowned Melukote Puliyogare, heavenly Sakkarai (sweet) pongal and curd rice.

Akka-Tangi Kola

Yoga Narasimha Temple

Kalyani

Chikmagalur, the land of coffee plantations, rolling hills, mystic lakes, dense western ghats. This esteemed hill station disappointed us in terms of climate. It is true that we were there in April end, peak summer, but isn't it the way the mountains are supposed to be? It was here we found a new love and respect for 'Bangalore' the best city in the whole world wide. We digress. Beholding the glorious sunrise in the Mullayana Giri, the highest peak in Karnataka at an altitude of 1925 meter; wondering at the marvelous syncretic culture of Bababudan shrine/dattatreya peetha; viewing the cascading Manikyadhara water falls; learning history of coffee at the coffee museum; and winding down at the Ayyanakere Lake watching sun fall behind the horizon painting the sky in splash of colours.

Shri Channakeshava Temple

Baba Budan Giri

Ayyanakere

Mullayyanagiri

Egypt, the land of Pharaohs and pyramids, the country of Cleopatra, the territory of illustrious Suez canal, stage to the well-known biblical story of the Exodus led by Moses crossing the Red Sea, and we quote from our history class "Egypt the gift of the Nile". It was our collective childhood dream to see the Pyramid, wonder of both ancient and modern world. We're sure most travelers share the same dream. We were just lucky. Each nook and cranny of Egypt brims with history and civilization. We were astonished beyond believe at the architectural marvel. At the same time brewing political unrest was palpable so was the muzzling. Military was patrolling the sensitive area and each and everyone is under their scrutiny. Within a day we became deaf to the army Sirening as if it was a norm. We toured the cities of Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and Ismalia. Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada should wait a little more for our gracious presence (pun intended).

Mosque of Muhammad Ali

Citadel of Qaitbay

Sultanate of Oman-an offbeat destination to choose from. It does not have neighboring Dubai's bling or pomp. It is said Omani government consciously made the decision not to imitate other cities in infrastructure. The architecture is earthy yet stylish, colours limited to white or beige, no high-rise buildings. This is true to the capital Muscat. On the way to Bahla we saw endless mountain ranges, cluster of palm trees here and there and glimpse of oasis. 

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Bahla Fort

The Royal Opera House

Mantralaya-a pilgrimage trip to fulfill the wishes of mother (mil). Seeing that there is nothing much but to visit the Raghavendra Math we decided to make it a day trip. To and from distance was 740 KMs from Bangalore and early start had the advantage of covering distance well within time. We opted to have Tirtha Prasada (lunch) at the temple's dining hall. To our surprise the food was delicious, the premises neat and tidy, and the serving generous. During onward journey we made a pit-stop at Lepakshi Nandi.

Mantralayam

Leaving you with a travel quote that summaries our travel aspiration.

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” –Susan Sontag  

Akka Tangi Kola, Melukote

After Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple we were in doubt whether to go to Yoganarasimha Temple now or later. Near the vehicle parking we noticed a sign saying way to Akka Tangi Kola and Rayagopura. It was easy to agree upon Rayagopura. While walking we talked among ourselves what this Akka Tangi Kola is? We knew it is a pond because in Kannada kola means pond. In a few moments Akka Tangi Kola showed up and what a show it was. These magnificent twin ponds were nothing like we have seen anywhere else.

 

By this time sun was harsh and we were quick to find a shade on the steps of one pond with a small temple behind us. A prewedding shoot was in full swing. Small group accompanying the couple was making a lot of noise teasing and taunting them on their cinematic poses. Our conversation oscillated between rage of prewedding shoot, drone cameras, and film making in general. Topic of drone cameras came up because we could not capture both the ponds completely. The perfect shot can be attained only by an aerial angle. Our next best option was to get it from Rayagopura which is situated further upward.

Akka means elder sister and tangi means younger sister in Kannada. Legend has it one of the sisters eagerly wanted to build the water tank while other one engaged in protestingly. So it happened the pond built by the sister who put her heart and soul into it is crystal clear and the water is consumed for drinking; whilst the pool created by reluctant sister is little bit muddy, little bit soggy and water is used for menial purposes like washing clothes, doing dishes, and on that line. We were unable to see this difference; however, there was an old man instructing people not to wash or splash water in one particular pond. So we deduced that pond must be the purest one. Our culture has so many legends and folklore that amuses us to no end. The exact period of these beautiful ponds are not known but considering the historic nature of this temple town it surely must be several hundred years old.

In some time we slowly started moving towards Rayagopura which is another 10 minutes uphill. The first thing we did was to try and find a way to get the ideal shot from up above. Sadly, thorny bushes covered the entire area that made it an impossible task. However, that didn't make our experience of spending time on those step-wells damp or dull. Since we are here in Rayagopura right now we should continue with that we guess.

Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple, Melukote

Having seen Melukote Rayagopura and Kalyani in several Indian movies one weekend we thought of visiting this temple town for a day trip as it is located at a distance of 147 kilometers from Bangalore. 

The Route: Bengaluru-Kunigal-Yadiyuru-Nagamangala-Melukote

Even though we left at 6:30 it was a foggy morning in the wintry month of January. We could see some of the vehicles moving in snail's pace while others completely bringing them to a halt. We stopped in Yadiyuru for breakfast to have delicious Mallige Idli (Soft and spongy Idli) and Yellikayi Chitranna (Citron Rice). With the aid of Google map we reached the sleepy town of Melukote around 10:00.

Perched upon the rocky hills of Yagugiri or Yadavagiri this place also goes by the name Thirunarayanapura. Mythologically Melukote was called Vedadri in Satya Yuga, Narayanadri in Thretha Yuga (Lord Rama), and Yadavadri in Dwapara Yuga (Lord Krishna). Yuga in Hinduism is an era consisting of many human years. During Kali Yuga, early in 11th century Srivaishnava saint Ramanuja was forced to leave Tamilnadu due to religious conflicts with Chola Kings. From then onwards he became the patronage of Hoysala kingdom for many years. He influenced the Jain king Bitti Deva to convert to Hinduism, that king is none other than Vishnuvardhana, the creator of magnificent Belur Chennakeshava Temple. King Vishnuvardhana lend a hand to Ramanjujacharya in building the Cheluvanarayana Swami Temple (Handsome God) in Melukote. Legend has it this temple was visited by Lord Rama along with his sons Lava and Kusha in Thretha Yuga and Sri Krishna and Balarama in Dwapara Yuga.

The main temple is a simple square building with extensive dimensions. Entrance of the temple adorns a triangular tower. Built in Dravidian style architecture the craftsmanship on the pillared corridor is awe-inspiring. As usual we skipped visiting sanctum sanctorum because of the huge crowd.

It is said the temple has a vast collection of precious jewels donated by erstwhile kings of Mysore, which are brought to the temple on festive occasions. And three gold crowns, two were gifted again by Wodeyars of Mysore and one by an unknown person.  

We spent a considerable amount of time appreciating the artisan work on the pillars much to the chagrin of the priests. It was written all over their face how annoyed they were to see group of four loitering around the corridor, appreciating the artistic work with bulk cameras around their neck. We feel they expect some level of devotion and submissiveness from visitors, which clearly we lack.

Just around the corner is the oldest Sanskrit college of Karnataka, which was sadly closed on that day. This “Veda Vedantha Bhodini Sanskrit Mahapathashala” was founded in 1854.

We met few school kids from coastal Karnataka who were on their yearly academical trip. Exuberant and full of life they reminded us of our childhood. Almost everyone in that group wants to become an engineer. We wished them all the best fulfilling their dreams. In 10 to 15 years down the line one of them may visit the same spot, bitten by the travel bug, having conversation with next generation.