Heggunda

   Heggunda is one amongst  the very few places we had a chance of visiting more than once. We made sure to cover the hero stones that we missed during our first visit. On reaching this place, we headed straight to the temple of Lord Anjaneya. The temple is believed to be built during the Hoysala period.

Lord Anjaneya Temple

Colorful Gopura

Hoysala Emblem

 Later, we went in search of  the Viragals or Hero stones. We found a few in the fields surrounding the temple. It was disheartening to see the stones lay unprotected and carelessly spread all over the field. 

Hero Stone

Warrior and the Lady

    After this, we inquired  if there were any more such stones around. We met an elderly  man who looked disinterested in disclosing any kind of information and so, saying nothing  much, walked away. However, a lady sitting not much far away from this man showed an interest in replying to us and told us about a carving of  a Goddess on a rock which was worth seeing. She volunteered to join us but since she was quite old , we requested her to only give us directions and started walking having no idea what was in store for us. After walking a few miles, we realised we were unable to figure out the place. After  wandering  around looking for carvings in the nearby rocks, we decided to go back and bring the lady along. On going back to her and requesting her to come along, the old man sitting next to her murmured about us wasting their time. But, the lady was very much eager to show us that place. She came along and  we were amazed to see such an amazing  piece of rock carving hidden amidst the rocks. We would not be able to figure that place by ourselves for sure!! The carving of the Goddess (Devi) was really wonderful and exciting. The lady then told us that none knew about who carved this and the goddess has supreme powers in curing ailments. She also cited examples about many cases wherein the doctors were unable to cure but when people came to this place, they got cured.

The Hidden Carving!

Devi standing on the head of a buffalo head 

 Shepherdess

      Our sincere thanks to this lady for showing us this amazing place. She was very curious to know about why we we clicked her picture, though it was hard to explain to her why. One of the best parts of travelling is getting a  chance to meet such wonderful and lovely people. Altogether, a nice place for an adventurous climb, history and fairly good bird watching .

For more information on this place one refer our older post on "Heggunda"

Winged Jewel : Hoopoe

   The  Common Hoopoe  is a colorful and distinctive bird known for its fan-like crest . The bird derives its name from its soft "poop! poop!" cry and can be seen singly or in pairs, often around human inhabitation and feeds by digging in the ground .

Crest Open

 

 Hoopoe

        

St Catherine Falls, Kotagiri, Ooty

         'St Catherine' water falls (seasonal) is located near Kotagiri  town, Tamil Nadu. The falls, nestled in the hills of the Niligris, is an added attractions for tourists visiting Ooty. The journey to the falls was a mesmerizing one.

Tea Garden and the Curvy Roads

Misty Morning

Tea Plantations

Mistea

        The water falls from a height of about 250 feet and is two tiered. A pleasant walk through a private tea garden takes us to the view point of the falls. The walk was amazing and we also found some porcupine  spines during our way to the view point. Though we visited during the monsoons, there was not much force in the waters, but definitely the weather made the place look more beautiful .

Awesome View

Clouds kissing the Hills

St.Catherine Falls

Second and the visible Tier

Hills around the Waterfalls

Wild Flowers

Tea Flower

Grass Flower

Finally some Monkey Business

The Hoysala Temple, Nagalapura , Tumkur

          This post is about the Chennakeshava Temple which is another small and beautiful temple of Nagalapura. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the favourite god of the Hoysalas. Any number of adjectives used to describe the Hoysala architecture seems insufficient. They are undoubtedly one amongst  the best architects of the world. There are very interesting one line legends about the temple some of which are that, this temple was built in a single day, built in single stone and many more.

Chennakeshava Temple

   The temple, built on a platform is poly angled (like many other Hoysala temples). It is an Ekakuta temple. The exterior and  interior of the temple are equally decorative and carry intricate carvings. The ceilings are magnificent and uniquely carved. The Garbagriha houses an idol of Lord Chennakeshava. The pillars are huge and carry a few motifs .

Ceiling -1

Ceiling -2

 Ceiling -3

Ceiling -4

Ceiling -5

 Ceiling -6

Lord Vishnu on the Lintel

Lord Cheluvanarayana  on the Lintel

The huge Pillars

An example of Skill and Patience!

Intricate !!!!

Lord Chennakeshava

       Our guide was a young boy of the village and seemed quite interested in sharing the history and legends of the temple. The outer walls of the temple are extremely artistic and contain carvings of various gods and goddesses.

Our Guide

Faded Entrance

Pattikas

Side view of the Temple

Mahishasuramardhini

Most intricate and  an amazing carving  (note the minute detailing)

     Nagalapura is a great place to enjoy architectural beauty. The Kedareshwara temple is being looked after by the ASI and has a permanent care taker, who resides in the neighboring village. The keys to the Chennakeshava temple are kept in a house nearby the temple. 

Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH48 - Right turn  towards Myasandra - Myasandra - Left turn after 3 kms (There is school on the right side ) - Left turn at the dead end - Right turn after 6 kms there is a board in Kannada - Nagalapura 

 
Distance from Bangalore:125 kms 

Places to visit nearby: Tandaga, Hulikal, Nonavinkere, Vignasanthe, Turuvekere and many more

Trip date : 27 Feb '2011

Reference: The hours - My Memoir 

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1. Shri Chennakeshava Temple, Tandaga 
2. Top 100 lesser known temples of Karnataka
3. Shri Chennakeshava Temple, Kaidala