The Hoysala Temples of Nagalapura, Turuvekere, Tumkur

     'Nagalapura' is a village located in Turuvekere taluk , Tumkur district. This place is almost unknown but has two significantly beautiful and ornate Hoysala temples, which probably would have been grand like any other Hoysala temple, but today is nothing but ruins.

    Nagalapura was a prosperous town under the Hoysala rule, whose grandeur can be felt when we look at these temple . Like most of the Hoysala towns, this too has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (Kedareshwara) and  another temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Chennakeshava).  The Kedareshwara temple is situated at the entrance of the village. This is bigger than the Chennakeshava temple though both  have the same plan of construction.

The Kedareshwara Temple

      The Kedareshwara temple is just like any other Hoysala temple in shape and design. It has five pattikas. The outer walls have amazing sculptures of Lord Shiva depicted in his various forms and vahanas(vehicles). 

Lord Ishana and Parvathi  on a Bull

Lord Varuna and his consort on a Crocodile

 The one among various forms of Lord Shiva is the Gajantaka, which is a destructive form taken by him  to over come the elephant demon Gajasura. This demon, created by the sages of Darukavana terrified gods and the people. Gajantaka is believed to bring prosperity.

Gajasuramurti

      Siva carries an antelope in his left upper hand. It is held in several ways. Shiva's antelope (Mrga) denotes his rulership over nature. Antelope/ gazelle / deer is an ancient Indus valley symbol of the lord of animals and of all living beings .

Lord Shiva with an Antelope in his upper left hand

   There are various depictions on the outer walls like the Betala (Demon), a beautiful  lady, Lord Brahma , and many various forms of Shiva and his family.

Arjuna aiming at the Fish

Lord Shiva

Bhringi

Shanmuga

Mahishasuramardhini

Lord Brahma

The Five Pattikas

Music Troupe

A Beautiful Lady

Note the Heeled Foot Wear

The Temple

Side View of the Temple

  Since the temple was closed and the care taker who lived in a near by village was unavailable, we had to move on without seeing the inside of the temple.

    References used : The book "The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography" written by Margaret Stutley.

Continued here...

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The Hoysala Temple of Sheelanere, K R Pete, Mandya

          'K.R.Pete', a treasure trove is home to many wonderful temples built by the Hoysalas. Our hunt for unknown Hoysala temples, this time lead us to a place named Sheelanere. 'Sheelanere' is small village located in K.R.Pete taluk, Mandya district. The Eshwara temple here was built by the Hoysalas in 1157 AD. This beautiful soapstone temple is situated near a huge lake, but in ruined state.

Eshwara Temple Complex

The Big and Beautiful Lake

             The temple was locked, but were able to peep inside through the grills. There was another temple (renovated) that housed an idol of Kshetrapala Bhairava. There was also a small room having two hero stones. There are many hero stones and idols  scattered around the temple and the lake. The huge lake adds a lot of serenity to this place.

Eshwara Temple

The Entrance

Lord Eshwara

Kshetrapala Bhairava

Lord  Ganapathy

People carved on the Stone

Broken Hero Stone

Hero Stone

Hero Stones inside the small room

War Scene Depiction on Hero Stone

    'Hero stones' (Wiki) or 'Veeragallu'  are stone carvings depicting the culture that prevailed those days . Majority of the hero stones found have 3 Phases or Panels or Pattikas. The bottom phase depicts war scenes, the middle phase depicts the hero being led by the angels to heaven and the top phase depicts the worship of god. Some of the hero stones found here had four phases, the top most depicted a scene from Kailasa (Abode of Shiva), where the hero is entering Kailasa  in the presence of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi. 

 Hero Stone

Overall, this place is beautiful and serene.  

Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - Mysore Road - B R Koppal - Right turn - Pandavapura - Take right turn at the direction board (Kannada) - Sheelanere
  
Distance from Bangalore:145 kms 


Places to visit nearby: K R Pete, Hosaholalu, Machalaghatta, Hariharapura, Chinkurli, Kere Tonnuru, Kikkeri, Sindhughatta and many more.

Trip date : 26 Jan '2011
 
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Corjuem Fort, Aldona, Goa

         After a sumptuous meal at Panjim, we decided to go in search of Fort near Alorna. The location of this fort as per our pre-trip research was somewhere in northern Goa nearby to Mapusa. Our loyal road map/GPS (Eicher Good Earth Road Atlas) also showed a fort near Alorna. But the local map we bought in Goa (whatsongoa.com) had no signs of the same. When we tried to match the maps, the local map showed a place named Aldona and a fort little further from this called the Corjuem Fort.

        With an assumption that both these places (Alorna and Aldona) could be the same, we headed towards Mapusa. Later we came to know that there are actually two different forts . After some inquiries with the locals, we finally reached Aldona and followed the directions marked by the Government of Goa 'Protected Site' to reach the fort. 

Corjuem Fort

        The fort is believed to have been built by the Portuguese in the 16th century and was used as a strategic point to attack the Marathas and the Bhonsles. This fort is also associated with a Portuguese lady soldier named Ursula e Lancaster, who tried to make it big in a man's world. She disguised herself as man and joined the army. The Corjuem Fort could easily be one amongst the smallest of forts of India.

Fort Walls

Closer View of the Watch Tower

Watch Tower form the Inside

     Nothing much remains inside the fort walls except a well (source of water), a chapel, a room/pantry and four ramps. The sturdy fort walls are in a good shape even without any maintenance. There is no entrance fee. 

Portuguese Inscriptions

The Pantry

The Well, Pantry and the Ramp

The Chapel

Directions: For directions, click on the Location tab below.

Places To visit nearby: Chapora Fort, Fort Aguda, Arvalem falls, Nanjus Fort, Vagator Beach, Anjuna Beach, Baga Beach, Calangute Beach, Mayem Lake, Lamgao and many more.

Trip Date: 4 April ' 2011

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Winged Jewel : Black Winged Stilt

 "Black Winged Stilt" is one of our favourite birds because of its long  pink legs. This bird is usually found near water bodies. Though it has a reputation of being shy, this time it seemed very friendly and gave us an opportunity to captures its various moods. 

Meal Time

Its Walky time after the meal!

The above picture was shot near Rushikulya beach ,Orissa. The beach is known for its mass nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles during January - March.
Identification Guide : A field Guide to the Birds of India, by Krys Kazmierczak   
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