Lakshmi Narayana temple at Hosaholalu

(This article was published in the Deccan Herald - Spectrum dated 25-Feb-2014 )

Nestled inside our villages and towns are some of the best remains of our brilliant history and its magnificent temples with their own intricate architectures with excruciating details. Probably among all the rulers who ruled different parts of South India, the Hoysalas have a very niche area, as their winning exploits are not known very widely but what they constructed during their reign has been a testament to their glory and showcases their artistic and cultural superiority.

A few kilometers away from the town of Krishnarajapete is a small village of Hosaholalu. Known as 'Hosa Horalu' in the past, the name of the town is believed to be a result of the gems and precious stones that were found buried under the ground. In this tiny village lies a beautiful temple built by King Vira Someshwara around 1250 AD. The temple with the main deity as Lakshmi Narayanaswamy follows the tri-koota or trikutachala style of architecture and facing east, rests on a raised pedestal, a characteristic of many of the Hoysala temples. After having visited Somnathapura, I believed that tri-koota meant that there also supposed to be 3 gopurams along with 3 sanctum-sanctorums(garbha-grihas) but I was corrected here and was told that trikoota essentially refers to the latter. Hoysalas ruled from 11th to 14th century AD and the construction of this temple is supposed to be during the zenith of their reign. The local legend also states that during some excavation in the bazaar area, an 'oralu' (vessel made of stone, used for beating and splitting grains) was found and hence this place came to be known as 'horalu'. Also, it is believed that a sprawling town used to exist in this region, with majestic forts. Remains of a mahadwaram(gate) still exists around the north-eastern side of the temple.

As one enters via the small lane that ends in the temple, one cannot but get confused as the fa￧ade does not look like that of the Hoysala architecture. But as they say 'do not judge a book by its cover', a corollary to it can be coined as 'do not judge a temple by its facade'.  The front portion of the temple seems to be cut off or rather built in a distinct Vijayanagara style. The ornateness and the intricate work is missing, and this I was told, was to ward off any raiders from harming the temple as they would mostly shun away from a not so good looking temple. Also, am not sure whether the Vijayanagara rulers changed the front part of the temple for  any particular reason, as the frontal portion dates to only 17th century AD.

Beautiful pillars shining in the tube-light welcome me as I enter the temple. Venugopalaswamy is on the left, Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy on the right and Lakshmi Narayana is in the middle garbha-grihas. All the three idols have been established here by Ramanujacharya. The main deity here originally was Nambi Narayana but in 1953 Goddess Lakshmi was placed and from then on the main deity has been known as Lakshmi Narayana. The present idol of Venugopalaswamy statue in the sanctum on the left is not the original one and is supposed to be stationed in recent past after the original was removed from its place. The lintels above the doors on each of these sanctums carry a smaller replica of the idol inside it, and one can see a marked difference between the sculpture on the lintel outside the garbhagriha of Venugopala swamy and the actual idol installed now. Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is seen with Bhakta Prahlada.

The Navaranga, which is to be used a nrithya-mantapa(dance), is in the middle of the temple connecting each of the three sanctums. Flanked by four lathed pillars in a classic Hoysala style, the navaranga has many intricate details that can be easily missed if not explained by a trained eye. Beautiful apsaras or dancers flank the pillars - one is seen decorating herself by looking at the mirror while another is seen holding a messenger parrot. One can also spot majestic lions with one paw in the air and the other on an elephant below them, proving their might. You will most likely miss a monkey sitting and drinking out of a coconut. This is on a pillar in the navaranga, the one on the right near the Lazhminarayana sanctum, and is supposed to be the 'ksehtra palakar', someone who takes care of a holy place or temple like this. In Kannada, this is referred to as 'hebbettu anjaneya' and is supposed to signify that even a monkey knows the importance of a coconut. 

Only the pillars in the navaranga have the horizontal designs in the forms of rings whereas the other pillars inside the temple have vertical edges. There is a particular arithmetic progression as you can see pillars with 16, 32 and 64 vertical edges. One can also see 'Sala' in different postures - in one, he is fighting with one lion whereas in a few he is seen with two lions and here too in different positions and with different kind of weapons.  The sculptors have also left a small piece of rock without any designs for the later generations to show their craftsmanship. The ceiling is probably something that can be best appreciated by the eyes only and not just words. There are 9 different designs inside the temple ceiling forming a grid of 3x3 with the one above the navaranga being the biggest. 

It is believed that the 'bhuvaneshwari' - a structure jutting out in the form of a banana flower from the ceiling was meant to act like a ventilator and could be screwed out despite being made out of solid stone. Each of the bhuvaneshwaris again look very different with few even having a tapered edge and with designs at the end instead of being conical.

If the interior of the temple was not enough to impress you already, the exteriors just blow your mind away. As you step down from the main temple and come to its side, you are presented the beautiful intricate designs, which enthrall you all the way as you exit from the other side.

There are 6 strips of running frieze around the three sides of the temple. The bottom-most frieze carries Elephants and the strip above that is that of horses with men on them. The horsemen look like cavalry and a few of the horses have decorations in the form of a more elaborate seat, and these probably denote the commanders of their regiments. A running creeper or some form of floral embroidery forms the strip above it. The one above the floral frieze is probably the most interesting strip as it carries scenes from The Ramayana for 60% of the length of the frieze and scenes from the Mahabharata continue the rest. The scenes are in chronological order and can be understood best when circum-ambulating the temple in the usual clockwise direction. The details being carried on in this running strip is of immense importance and I was getting goosebumps when our guide explained them. Above them is the series of the imaginary animal - Makara-Shardula. Makara-Shardula, a variant of leogriff , is a mythological animal having a pig's body, lion's legs, elephant's eyes, crocodile's face and the posterior of a peacock. The strip above it carries the beautiful swan (anna-pakshi or hamsa) as a continuous block-print. 

The panel, almost 2-2.5 feet wide, above the running friezes carries the images of many gods and goddesses. The panel consists of interesting images of Natya Saraswati, Darpana Sundari, Visha Kanya, a standing Narasimha Swamy(known as Prasanna Narasimha) and also of one who looks like a foreigner. The imagination skills of the sculptors who carved out these from stones needs to be appreciated as one looks at this panel of deities who are in perfect proportion and are highly detailed. The classic Hoysala emblem at the top of the gopuram is missing here but is carved on the left side of the gopuram.

Made of soapstone, the pillars in the navaranga still have their sheen on whereas the exteriors have seen the travails of time and people. One can also spot bleak traces of the gold and red paints in some of the sculptures on the exterior wall that still remain. 

The left most part of the exterior of temple probably has some of the best preserved parts with interesting images like Bheeshma during Uttarayana and Dakshninayana  and a lion showing its might and bending a pillar on the outer wall along with Vishnu's Dasavatharam.

My belief in the artistic achievement during the Hoysala's reign was reaffirmed after visiting this beautiful temple.  This temple along with many others found in the region, presents to us the tremendous knowledge of the temple designs along with their artistic finesse during the reign of the Hoysalas.

A Traitor's Tomb - Ghulam Ali's Tomb at Srirangapatna

(This article was published in Deccan Herald - Spectrum on 24-Dec-2013)

We literally asked as many people as possible in Srirangapatna for the tomb of Ghulam Ali. No one had heard of him and almost all pointed us towards either Gumbaz(the mausoleum of Tipu Sultan and his family) or Dariya Daulat Bagh(Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan). Tired and battered we rested for a nimbu-soda(aerated soda with lemon) outside the Gumbaz and asked the soda-wallah if he knew anything about the tomb. And what followed next was the spurt of knowledge from this road-side vendor from whom we least expected.

He claimed that Ghulam Ali or famously known as Langda or Gumchi, was a traitor and no one worshipped, let alone care for him. He was buried under a dome-like structure where pigeons flocked and littered the entire place with their excreta. The soda-wallah was careful enough to point that no pigeon drop would even a spoonful at Gumbaz whereas we would find buckets of excreta at the tomb of Ghulam Ali. He also told us that the place was cursed and no one, not even the muslims, visit there. Nevertheless he was pretty excited about the prospects of we visiting there and asked us to venture there with care. His directions to the tomb were carefully etched in our memories now and our adrenaline levels shot upto new levels, as we picturized the non-decrepit structure housing the remains of Ghulam Ali.

As we drove along the mud road, padded with paddy and sugarcane fields, we soon saw a structure overlooking the paddy fields on the right. The ruins were clearly visible and the large dome clearly demarcated the green fields from the blue skies.  As we drove along the road, laden with crushed grass and dried up sugarcane, we soon stumbled on a gate which was otherwise to be the entrance to the structure. A few dogs came running by and we were too scared to leave our car. The mystery surrounding this place increased as we saw the canines standing between us and our goal. Determined not to back out, we shoo-ed them away and shouted for someone to open the door. A watchman emerged with whom we had to haggle a lot to let us in.

View of the tomb from the kuccha-road

Entrance to the Tomb of Ghulam Ali, Srirangapatna

We were enthralled by the structure that was standing in front of us. Highly decrepited, and shrouded with foliage and an air of mystery, the dome looked imposing despite being in shambles. The structure was built in two levels and had beautiful crafted mini-minarets at the corners. The arches at both levels were classic of Islamic architecture.  It was disheartening to see the overgrowth all over the structure and we had to placate ourselves not entering it for the fear of getting bitten by a snake or some rodent or insect. Parts of structure seemed to have been vandalized or fallen down with the brick work being exposed in what looked like an otherwise very strong building. The dome has a stronger linear demarcation compared to the Gumbaz and also is bigger than the latter.

I was in for a larger surprise when I started doing the post-travel research to know more about Ghulam Ali and why he was called as a traitor and to know more about this tomb. Loads of research on the Internet and the experience of Prof.Karimuddin of Srirangapatna helped in crafting a story around this entire episode and his persona.

Ghulam Ali was the head vaqeel of Tipu Sultan and was also the home minister under his Kingdom of Mysore. He also is supposed to have led a delegation to Constantinople and also faced Viraraja of Coorg in the battle of 1789. He was also to travel to France, but did not end up going. Given all these, he definitely sounds a person of immense importance but what was interesting was the fact that he was called a ‘traitor’ by the locals. It is believed that Ghulam Ali stole many gifts from his travels which were supposed to be for Tipu and the Kingdom. Ghulam Ali was even jailed for it and was released later due to the magnanimity of Tipu. He was also given a substantial pension by the Britishers post their siege of Seringapatanam and hence it is very much possible that he had federated with the British. Locals call this pension as ‘namak-haram’ pension.

Ghulam Ali's Tomb

Next was to understand why he was called ‘langda’. The painting by Robert Home on “The reception of the Mysorean hostage princes by Marquis Cornwallis” depicts Ghulam Ali seated on a silver palanquin while all others are seen standing. Though there is a claim that he suffered from sciatica, Prof.Karimuddin points out that Ghulam Ali did not want to stand during the reception in the court when Tipu approached it, for he believed that Tipu was much younger to him and did not mandate the respect. He feigned a false limp and created an excuse in such a way that he did not have to stand when the King approached.

The Reception of the Mysorean Hostage Princes by Marquis Cornwallis, 26 February 1792 , by Robert Home
Source : BBC

Next quest was to understand the importance of the structure in itself which looked beautiful in this scenery. It is believed that Tipu had this constructed for his parents initially, but the experts pointed out that the architecture had some remnants of Shia style and hence was not suitable for a Sunni Muslim like Tipu. Also, the river Kaveri had almost flooded the structure once. Because of this, Tipu moved his plan for the tomb to the present day Gumbaz and later Ghulam Ali bought this from him.

Closeup of the structure

A note by John Thomas mentions that Ghulam Ali was a Senior Mysorean military commander and lived from 1758 to 1863 and died in 1863 at the age of 105 at Krishnagiri and is buried there. This claim seems to be put to rest by Prof.Karimuddin who did mention that Ghulam Ali did die somewhere else, but his body was interred under this present day decrepitated structure and not in Krishnagiri. Sunni muslims have a distinction between the tombs of male and females and here too destiny seems to have played its game, as the tomb of Ghulam Ali resembled that meant for a female. This theory puts the rest to the fact that the tomb was not constructed by Ghulam Ali for his wife (and hence no resemblance with the love story of the Taj Mahal). We also found three bodies buried in the same compound with no enclosing structure and with no epitaph and sans ornamentation of their tombs. These are the relatives of Ghulam Ali.

Tombs of relatives of Ghulam Ali

The quest for Ghulam Ali and the secret behind his tomb finally seemed to have found an end as the stories and the folklores around him started making sense. The structure still stands isolated from the tourist frenzy and away from any hussle-bussle in a private farm. With parts of it crumbling due to the travails of time and sheer neglect, this beautiful structure will soon be part of the earth.

Gaurishwara Temple, Yelandur

( This article was published in the Deccan Herald - Spectrum dated 22-October-2013 )

At a distance of 30kms from Thirumakoodalu Narasipura(popularly known as TNarasipura) lies the town of Yelandur that falls under the Chamarajanagar district. The road from TNarasipura was patchy at a few places and we had to literally slow down to a bullock cart’s pace in order to save the chasis and the shock absorbers of our car. The only saving grace was the lush and green fields on either sides, and soon hit the town of Yelandur. I  had expected this town to be a tiny village sporting a few houses and an old temple ensconced in some corner with an equally patchy road. But I was presented to a thrawling town with a reasonably big bus terminus and pretty vibrant crowd, and that too, early in the morning.

The Gazetteer of Mysore records that the fertile black soil so valuable here that there was not a single acre of uncultivated land, excepting on the hills. In “Mysore and Coorg”  By Benjamin Lewis Rice notes that ‘Yelandur appears to have been the seat of a wealthy principality at the time of the Vijayanagara sovereignty’ which is reinforced by the factor that the region was irrigated by the river Suvarnavati and the rich and fertile soil made agriculture extremely profitable. The hills also contributed to the wealth of the region as they were the home to many valuable trees like sandal, teak etc. But now Yelandur looked like any other small town.

In the present day, roads in Yelandur are narrow but are paved well and just as we crossed a corner, did we notice a small campus with some old structures jutting out a few feet below the road level. One could have easily missed this as there are no signboards or any other clear landmark. The campus houses the Gaurishwara Temple that is one of the few landmarks in this little town. The temple is dangerously close to a corner and any heavy vehicle with failed breaks can easily crash on it and destroy this symbol of our history.

A beautifully carved mantapa, Mahadwara, is presented as soon as one enters via the small(and only) gate into the campus. The temple and the mahadwara face east. Beautiful rings made of stone(with no joins) hang on corners, and hence this mantapa was called as ‘bale-mantapa’(bale in Kannada means bangles). Figures of Vali, Sugriva, Naramsimha swamy adorn the pillars of this mantapa while highly intricate carvings of Andhakasura vadha, Dakshinamurthy, Kalinga-mardana, Shiva, and other gods occupy the exteriors. Lord Shiva wearing slippers with heals and sporting his hair loose, being overlooked by kirthimukha is just too beautiful to be ignored. There is also a motif of a monkey drinking from a coconut.

The majestic mahadwara sets the expectations of an even greater and impressive temple inside the premises, which is only shattered as we step past it. Two temples, without any gopurams, stand surrounded by trees inside the campus. The architecture of these two temples are totally different from the bale-mantapa. Though the bale-mantapa seems to have been inspired by the Hoysala architecture, as can be seen by the running friezes on the exterior walls, the temples sport a distinct Vijayanagara architecture, as can be seen by its simple pillars and lack of any ornamentation. The sanctum-sanctorum is guarded by a wooden door, while the hall outside lacks any walls and is open from all three sides.

On the South side of the campus, a stone with inscriptions in hale-kannada stands in a small pit covered by a small structure. A Nandi, which seems to have been recently painted, sits on top of this structure. It is believed that this temple was constructured by a prince called Singadepa(who was also known as Devabhupala) in 1550AD. They belonged to the Hadinadu dynasty(also known as Padinadu) and were the feaudatories of the Vijayanagara dynasty. The beautiful entrance, known as bale-mantapa, was erected in 1654-55 by  his great grandson Mudduraja(also known as Muddhabhupa).

In December 1807, Yelandur was gifted (as Hereditary Freehold or inam)  to Dewan Purnaiyya for his ‘extraordinary’ services rendered to the Mysore Kingdom. A building, whitewashed in yellow paint, stands at the backside of the temple. This is probably the only highrise in the town and is the bungalow of Dewan Purnaiyya. Yelandur is strategically placed near Coimbatore and Mysore, and with natural riches during its hey days, it is believed that it was an obvious choice for Purnaiyya as he could be close to the Wodeyars of Mysore from here. Restoration and some renovation work was in progress during our visit and hence we couldn’t enter the bungalow.

Temple Run 1 - Uncharted Temples in Karnataka - Magadi and Mandya Districts

Route:
Bannerghatta Road - NICE Road - Magadi Road - Magadi - Kalya - Devarahatti - Basaralu - Hosaholalu - Kallahalli - T.Narasipura - Yelandur - T.Narasipura - Talakkad - Madhyarangam - Shivanasamudram - Kanakapura Road - NICE Road - Bannerghatta Road.

View Larger Map

Link : http://goo.gl/maps/cO32S

Temples Covered:
1. Magadi - Ranganathaswamy Temple (closed)
2. Magadi - Someshwara Temple
3. Kalavaripatna or Kalya - Cave temple - Basavanna
4. Devarahatti - Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple -
5. Basaralu - Mallikarjuna Temple
6. Hosaholalu - Lakshmi Narayana Temple
7. Kallahalli  - Bhu Varahanatha Swamy Temple
8. Yelandur - Gaurishrava Temple
9. Talakad
    i. Vaidyanatheshwara
    ii. Pathaleshwara
    iii. Maruleshwara
    iv. Arkeshwara
    v. Mallikarjuna
10. Madhyarangam

Other places Covered:
1. Jaggery Factory
2. Magadi Fort - Goat/Animal market
3. Shivanasamudram Falls

Total Distance Covered : 600 kms

Start Time: 5:45 am on 9th August. Friday
End Time: 5:30 pm on 10th August. Saturday

Expenses(for two):
Breakfast - 113
Tea - 26
Lunch + Dinner- 80 +16 + 20 +68
Hotel - 450
Cold Drinks + Water - 163
Pachayat Ticket (Talakkad) - 30
Falls Ticket - 20
Tips and Guide Fees - 40+100+250
Total = 1356
Petrol = 30lt = 30x78= 2340
Total = 3696 INR (or 1848 INR per head)

Travelogue
-TODO-

One Day Getaway - Temples Along Mysore Road

The idea was to take my parents to some uncharted temples along Mysore road. I had a list of few temples which were very to hard to find via the Web, nevertheless, i noted them down and hoped for the best. Also, wanted to visit Somnathpura and Talakkad(if possible).

We started from our place at 7am. Hit the NICE road via Kanapura road and then the first stop was the Panchamukha Ganesha temple.

Panchamukha Ganesha Temple, Mysore Road
This temple is on the left just after you enter Mysore road from NICE road.This is one of the new temples that has come up. I expected this to be the kind of Kemp Fort(in Old Airport Road) but was presently surprised to see a very nice and big ganesha idol inside with 5 faces(pancha = 5, mukha = faces). There are 4 faces - one in every direction and one face is at the top of the 4. A quick visit and pradakshinam(walk around the temple) and we continued.

Breakfast at Kamath Lokaruchi

Kamath Lokaruchi is pretty much the standard place for a breakfast for almost everyone who hits the Mysore road in the morning. This was the first time that I stumbled on the breakfast buffet. The buffet has very good spread comprising of Idilis(wrapped in leaves), Dosas, Vada, Pongal, Upma, Akki Roti, Jalebi, Banana and Chikku(sapota) milkshake and tea+coffee. A very heavy breakfast it was and worth every dime spent. (jalebi was awsum)

Aprameyaswami / Navaneetha Krishna Temple, Channapatna - Dodda Mallur

The Krishna temple is just after Channapatna - around 7kms from the main city - on the left hand side of Mysore road, just after the Kanva reservoir.  Lord Aprameya is the main idol and there is also an idol of Krishna(kid Krishna) - when we went, he had a layer of Butter(vennai) as decoration(alangaram). If you have read Vishnu Sahasranamam - there is a verse : 'aprameyo rishikeshaha..padbhanabho amaraprahuhu'.

One interesting trivia about the place 'Dodda Mallur' is - the place got its name from the Tamil word - 'Mulaithathu' - which means 'growing'..and with the passage of time and the effect of the local dialect - this word transformed into 'mallur'.  And whats the context of 'growing' you ask - well, there is a story behind this : there was a king whos limbs were but by his enemies and thrown away; the King kept reciting the God's name and hence his limbs 'grew' back.

Mandya district is a Vaishavite belt - comprising of many Vishnu/Naramsimha Swamy temples.

Inside the temple; the door on the right leads to the main Sanctum

Other idols in the temple include Lord Aprameya's consort Aravindhavalli Thayar , Navaneetha Krishna , Vaikuntanatha swami , Ramanuja , Koorathazhwar ,Pillai Lokacharya etc.

Lord Hanuman on the Dwaja Sthambam(flag

)

Nadi Narasimha Temple
Take the road Opposite to the Apremeya Swami temple (on the other side of Mysore Road - i.e, right hand side) and proceed on the narrow tar road; after a few hundred meters there is a small road(not tarred) which leads to the Nadi Narasimha temple.

The temple is supposedly 1500years old - and it is a very small temple - which has been renovated in the recent past. The main deity here is Narasimha Swamy - with the prefix 'Nadi' , meaning 'a river'. There used to flow a river around here which caused immense destruction to the entire place and this idol was placed to secure the land from the wrath of the river.  The then Maharaja of Mysore was kind enough to grant this piece of land to the temple.

Devotees hang dried coconuts inside the temple with a belief that there wishes would be granted - however, the temple priest was quick to point out that this is just a 'faith' and something which is not noteworthy in terms of the 'religion' or the importance of this sthala.

Ugra Narasimha Swami Temple, Maddur
After Nadi Narasimha Swamy temple, we proceeded onwards towards the main city of Maddur to visit the Ugra Narasimha Swamy temple. The main deity here is Ugra Narasimha Swamy - with his eight hands and wearing the intestines of Hiranyakasipu as his garland.I have NEVER seen such an idol of Narasimha Swamy with such intricate work. Please do not miss this temple for sure. The thirumanjanam(the afternoon abhishekam) was to be started and we did not wait much to watch this.

Inside the temple ; the pink walls on left is the main sanctum

The architecture resembles that of the Vijayanagara Style with dashes of Dravidian architecture.

Entrance and the Dwajha Sthabam(flag)

Vardharaja / Alanatha Swamy Temple 
Once you come out of the Ugra Narasimha Swamy temple, turn left and you will notice a small structure at an elevated level opposite the Banyan Tree. You can just walk across. I guess this temple is under renovation with a new gopuram etc being constructed.  The door was closed when we entered, but the priests were kind enough to open it for us - and we were blessed enough to see the 16-18feet tall idol of Varadharaja Swamy(Vishnu).

The main idol is a treat to watch with beautiful carvings. The priests narrated the story of the temple which goes like this : The then King's mother lost her eyesight and the Astrologer/minister advised a visit to Kanchi(Kanchipuram). King was unable to take his mother to Kanchi because of her age and lack of eyesight; instead, the King got some sculptors form Kanchi and constructed this beautiful idol. It is said that his mother got her eye sight on the 45th day.  (if you do visit Kanchipuram - the city of temples - you can easily spot the sculptors and sculptur-schools all along the city at various places)

I was told that the backside of the main idol is supposed to even more beautiful - but the priest did not allow us to view them as there were many divya chakrams engraved which was not to be seen by the naked eye.

Pattabhi Rama Temple
To the backside of the Varadharaja temple is Pattabhi Rama temple. Pattabhi is the shortened version of  'Pattabhishekam' - i.e, the crowning of Lord Rama. Lord Rama with consort Sita and 'friend/bhaktha' hanuman are the main idols in the sanctum.

 

There was a picture of some ruins inside the sanctum and on inquiring with the priest were told that it was the state of the temple before the reconstruction/renovation took place. It really feels sad to see such a sorry state of our temples.

Hole Aanjaneya Swamy Temple, Maddur, Mandya
Retrace the road back from the Narasimha swamy temple and enter the road which has an arch(of some Devi). Follow the road or ask anyone enroute ; the temple is around 2km from the mainroad.
The heat was increasing and there were many kids playing in the water along the small channel.
'Hole' in Kannada means 'river' (and hence Aihole??); and since this temple is situated just along the banks of the river, hence the nomenclature. This is again a very small temple. When we went the sanctum was closed for the 'alangarams'(i.e, adorning the idol with decorations). We waited for sometime, but were told that it might take another 30mins - we left.

(I got a chance to peek into the main sanctum via the curtain and did see a 4feet tall Hanuman engraved on a slab of rock being beautifully decorated - probably with sandalwood or turmeric).

Chennakesava Temple, Somnathapura
This was my second visit to this beautiful temple in the last 5 years. I had visited this temple way back in 2006, just after i got my DSLR then, and it was always been my recommended place to visit for anyone who hits the Mysore road. The temple is very well maintained by ASI(Archeological Survey of India) and there is no pooja done to the idols. The intricate work done on the temple walls and roofs are noteworthy. The idols are beautifully carved and you can see the Hoysala Architecture at its splendid glory in here. (Belur and Halibedu are other ones). One cannot miss the triple gopurams which is very rare in many hindu temples.

Pillars inside the temple - a characteristic of Hoysala Architecture

When we landed here, it was almost 1:10pm and the sun was mighty bright and sunny. The heat was radiating from the temple floors(outside ones), and the torn carpet which was spread along the pedestal was of little help. Me and Amma literally ran around the sanctum to view the beautiful carvings along the walls.

View of the Entrance from the Temple Podium

The 'Actual' temple - note the Three Gopurams.

The Way Back
Had our lunch again at Kamath Lokaruchi , as it was already VERY late - it was 3pm - and the tiredness was visible on everyone's face!!  There were multiple meals on the menu - and we preferred Kavalli meal(Mangalorean-ish) and the North Karnataka Meal(Belgaum-ish). Unlike the breakfast spread, the lunch was very not upto the mark and the service was pathetic (probably they were closing down for the noon).

 It indeed was a very long and hot day, especially with the Bangalore sun getting hotter by the day, and we returned back home at around 5pm.

Epilogue
Am sure there are many more uncharted/unexplored temple(s) along this route, and i shall return again along this route to find them and document them.


Tips:
1. Start early - preferably around 6am from your place.
2. Breakfast at Kamath Lokaruchi - A Must
3. Prefer having lunch at Maddur(i do not know of any recommended hotels here, if you can find out, do drop a note)
4. Ugra Narasimha Swamy temple in Maddur and Chennakesava Temple in Somnathpur - a Must.
5. If possible, try arranging for the Puliogare in the Naramsimha Swamy temple ; Mandya Puliogare is very famous.
6. Do note take pictures of the main idols inside the temples.
7. If you do not know the exact route, just ASK - people always help you with the exact location of the temple.

Total Distance Traveled (by Car ): 338kms

Expenses:
  Car : 338kms * 6 = 2028
  Driver Bata/Charges = 200
  Breakfast At Kamath Lokaruchi (for 4 ) = 90*4 = 230
  Lunch At Kamath Lokaruchi (for 4 ) = 450
  Total Expenses = 3200 INR (Approx )

Along the Karnataka Coast Line

So, me and wifey decided to go along the West Coast of India to celebrate our First Anniversary. We just booked the ticket from Bangalore to Mangalore and let everythings take shape as it comes. Initially, I had some apprehensions of going till Gokarna as I feared that we might run out of time by the time we finish the Jain circuit and Udupi. But it so happened that we finished the Jain circuit in a day and had loads of time. And we ended up doing Moodbidri - Karakala - Venur - Udupi (Malpe, Kapu) - Gokarna (Kudle, Om). We could have always done Murudeshwar and Honnavar, but i wanted to relax for sometime and not have a strenous schedule, as work was burning me out.

Read on for a more detailed itinerary and some travel notes.

Day 1 - Friday
We had booked a sleeper bus from Bangalore to Moodbidri, and it so happened that the road was horrendously bad. We were on the upper berth, and it was jumping and wobbling for most of the time, hardly had a good sleep! (I think the stretch from Hassan and all the way upto Mangalore was crap!)

The bus started from Bangalore(Bannerghatta road around 7:30am and we reached Mangalore in the morning around 6:30am. We had not planned whether we want to do Mangalore or carry on to Moodbidri. In the morning, i felt that we should be doing the Jain circuit and then head on towards Udupi, than sticking to Mangalore. Mangalore can always be done when we plan to do Kerala ; something like, start from Mangalore and then onto Bekal-kasargod and the rest of Kerala). Anyway, the bus conductor asked us to get down at Jyothy bus stand if we are to catch a bus to Moodbidri. We had to walk across the road and wait for a bus which came in another 5mins. Reached Moodbidri in around 50mins. We had our breakfast in a hotel in the Moodbidri bus stand. We did not note the hotel's name, but it was pretty clean - though not duly whitewashed. A idli-vada and quick tea is always refreshing in the morning. Asked quickly for directions to the Thousand Pillar Jain Temple and then proceeded onwards. Enroute we stumbled on a Hanuman temple. I had opined that this was just another temple, but it looks like this Hanuman/Anjaneya temples is a very famous one in Moodbidri.

A quick walk lasting 15-20mins lead us to the Thousand Pillar temple. Photography is not allowed inside the temple premises. When we entered, there was hardly anyone inside. The intial few pillars on the leading face of the temple were looking nice - though not impresseive; the prangan(area surrounding the sanctum) and near the walls were unkempt with grass and wild plants. Unimpressive, i had expected much grandeur in this temple; though the brass statue of Mahaveera inside the temple glowing in the bulb within the sanctum was nice to look at. The pedestals were nice but the pillars were lacking the much needed intricate carvings.

A jaunt back to the bus stand and then a tea in the same hotel and then a bus to Karakala ensued. The journey was for around 30mins. The sun was pretty bright by now and we had to wear our shades, as we had to climb hundred odd steps to visit the statue of Gomatestwara on the top of the hillock. A few chocolates before the climb and a quick ascent lead us to a flat land with the monolith statue of Gomateswara standing in the middle, surrounded by two sets of walls - one very close to the statue itself and the one around the temple. Clicked a few snaps and sat here for sometime. The shade outside the temple was cooler than that of inside.

We then came back to the Moodbidri bus stand and caught a bus to Venur. Unlike the hillock in Karkala, Venur is pretty much at the ground level; few steps leads us to the monolithic structure which is again on a flat concrete ground.

Venur does not have many lunch options, so we had it in one Jain hotel which was clean, though the food was nothing great. The hotel owner told us that there are regular buses to Udupi from Venur, but little did we know that those buses go via Moodbidri(duh!).

(And thus i had seen all the big-4 monoliths of Gomateshwara in Karnataka - Shravanabelagola, Karkala, Dhramasthala, Venur ! Yay!)

We reached Udupi around 5:30pm in the evening. Took a hotel near the road that leads to the Krishna temple. The room was neat and clean, but not luxurious - you dont get a deluxe room for 300 Rupees!). Went on a walk near our hotel and asked for the best hotel in that area with a few passerbys; almost everyone seemed to suggest Woodlands and after a sumptuous meal there and a follow up walk near the temple, we retired for the day.

Note : Prefer doing Moodbidri, Venur and then Karkala in order. There are buses from Karkala to Udupi and you dont have to come back to Moodbidri, we didnt know about this and lost about an hour in the transit.

Day 2 - Saturday
We visited the famous Krishna temple in the morning around 8am. Lord krishna - a black idol - was kept in a small room which had many oil lamps lit and was not to be reached by anyone. Devotees had to have a view of the Lord via a small window - the sighting would last only for a few seconds. The rush was not much and we had a good darshan.

A breakfast at Woodlands ensued and we took a nap in our room. We again went to the Krishna temple in the noon - for the mid day prasadams - the meals. Surprisingly, the temple treats brahmins and non-brahmins differently. I was wearing a Jean and a T and we both stood in the line for the non-brahmins. We were told that only those who wore dhoti were eligible to sit in the area marked for brahmins (we wondered how easy this system could be tricked!). The meals for the non-brahmins are served in the first floor. Everyone is asked to sit down and the marble in front of them is to be washed and food is served on this. I would expect that the scene on the ground floor was to be completely different, with banana leaves and a much better quality of food. In the abode of God, such differentiation is to be frowned upon. On a philosophical note, i do not understand why Man always comes up with means and measures to differentiate people(his fellow beings) !

Anyway, we proceeded onto the Government Bus stand which runs buses to Malpe. Malpe is around 5-6 kms from the Udupi bus stand and from the Malpe bus stand you can catch an auto to reach the beach. I did not find anything spectacular about the beach, though there was a ship building/repair yard on the left hand side of the beach. It was around 2 in the noon, and we did not loiter in the sand, but sat on the bench and whiled our time. A boat ride to St.Mary's island could always be done, but this would be too much 'touristy'. We got a lift from the beach to Malpe Bus stand and then caught a bus back to the Government bus stand. We were told that buses to Kapu had to be caught from the Private(or Service) bus stand. Kapu is slighlty far off and the ride lasts for close to 30mins. One can walk from the Kapu bus stand to the beach or hire an auto; auto costs around 25-30. We preferred to walk.

Tip: When you get down from the bus at Kapu bus stand, get onto the other side of the road and ask for directions to the beach; they will lead you to a narrow lane - get onto that and then go straight, you will reach the bypass road, and then cross it and take the road next to the temple on the other side of the road, keep going straight; once you reach a T junction, take the left and then take diversion from the road onto the sand which is next to a few huts there, a few meters away is the beach. This side of the beach is virgin and not people/tourists visit here. Also, you can spend some time in the shade of the monolith rock there and then climb onto it too ;)
The more famous(read 'crowded') part of the beach is on the other side of this rock.

Kapu beach has a functional lighthouse(there is no port here) and the sunset from here is beautiful!

There was a local mela going on in the beach when we went there and then took an auto to the Kapu bus stand back (this one is on the Bypass road). Back to Udupi and retired for the day after a meal at Woodlands ;)

Day 3 - Sunday
We got up at around 6:45am and vacated the room by around 7:15am. The hotel's manager told us that Train was way better than bus, as the former would take 2-2.5hours to reach Gokarna than the latter which takes around 5 hours. Also the roads are not good. The train was to leave at 7:50am from the station. I wanted to try our luck and caught an auto to train station and reach there by 7:30. The rush in the station was just beginning and the queue for the tickets wasn't long. We got the tickets and had a quick breakfast in the station. The train arrived, not very crowded, one of us managed to get a seat while i kept standing for a while and exchanging seats. Reached Gokarna road by around 10:40am. There was mini cab/bus waiting outside and for 15 Rupee ride lasting for 15mins we reached Gokarna. We were not sure about the hotels to choose from - i.e, choose a hotel in Gokarna or prefer any of the huts along the beaches. Preferred to rest for sometime, have some lunch and then decide.

And so we stumbled on Hotel Sri Sai Ram, this is a small hotel next to the SBI ATM on the main road, before you enter Car Street. Little did we know that this hotel will be our place for lunch/dinner for our remaining stay in Gokarna. This clean hotel is run by a family - husband,wifey, a son and a daughter; and i think there are two helpers who get them along with the kitchen and other associated activities.

Post lunch, we roamed in the streets behind the gokarna bus stand looking out for rooms and here we stumbled on Katyayani Guest House. This is run by a gentleman who runs a provision store just outside his house. Our room was on the first floor - damp and a little unclean. But since we were budget travellers, we took this and quickly cleaned the room. A quick nap and a long walk along the Gokarna beach in the evening followed.

Day 4 - Monday
Getup at around 7:15am, breakfast at take the road next to Ganapati temple and then proceed towards Kudle beach and then onto Om beach. The trek to Kudle takes around 40mins(when done slowly). ( the platform is quiet steep, till you reach the flat ground on the hillock. ). Kudle to Om Beach takes around 20-30mins(again when done slow)

(View of Gokarna beach from the hillock enroute Kudle)

The whole day was spent on these two beaches and the evening sunset at Gokarna beach.

Day 5 - Tuesday
Get up around 7am and a quick breakfast at Pai Hotel on Car Street. Proceed to Kudle beach. The morning sun was nice and bright and the 30minute trek was refreshing.

Also, we started the trek from Gokarna beach instead of the lane next to Ganapati temple. This was a boon, the ascent was not hard and also we were able to continue walking without breaks for quiet sometime. We sat in the shades of the trees in Kudle beach for sometime, till the Kayak guy came in. The sand was cool. The 1 hour long kayaing session was pretty good. We started off with a big thud in the water before we could paddle the kayak ;) We went around 0.5-1km inside the waters where it was still. It was quite scary sometimes. (Having kayaked in the Red Sea earlier, this was our second time, but, the Arabian Sea was a little scary  when compared with the Red Sea).

Back to our room in Gokarna just in time to check-out, quick bath and vacated the room. Post lunch, time was spent sleeping in one of the huts along the Gokarna beach where the fishermen had kept their nets (it wasnt stinky ;) ).

A nice wooden-oven cooked pizza in the restaurant along the sides of the hillock at Gokarna and a beautiful sunset brought the trip to a beautiful end.; and the cane juice with ginger and lemon was a refresher to bring the energy back :)

Boarded the sleeper bus at Car Street at 7pm(started only at 7:45pm) and reach Bangalore by 6:30am.

Expenses (all expenses are for two pax) :

Travel:

• Bangalore-Mangalore(Sleeper bus) : 700
• Mangalore-Moodbidri(bus) : 50
• Moodbidri-Karkala(bus) : 26
• Moodbidri-Venur(bus) : 30
• Moodbidri-Udupi(bus) : 50
• Udupi-Malpe(bus) :12
• Malpe bus stand-Malpe Beach(auto) : 25
• Udupi-Kapu(bus) : 24
• Udupi-Gokarna(train) : 62
• Gokarna Train Station - Gokarna : 30
• Gokarna-Bangalore(Sleeper bus) :400

Accommodation:

• Hotel at Udupi (2 nights * 300 ): =600
• Hotel at Gokarna (2 nights * 200 ): 400

Sundries: 

• Food : depends on what you eat ..we are veggies;)
• Kayaking at Kudle:300

Grand Total (for two) : around 5000 INR

(I have been planning this tour for close to 4 years now; every time i planned this, something else came up in my schedule and i ended up doing something else. I am glad that this long pending visit to the Indian(Karnataka) West Coast is finally over; and with this, i think i have covered most places in Karnataka).

An evening around MG Road

Bangalore City Market

A Visit to the City Market

Took a few hours off from work and visited City Market (Bangalore) . Wanted to visit the Tipu-sultan's fort and do some clicking around in the market. Was sad to see that the fort was closed and there was no one with whom i could check about the status/permissions for entry.

With a dejected soul, roamed about the market and clicked some shots (will upload it tommorrow). It was nice to be in the rush of the market, with all the stink (and sometimes nice smell/flavour) around. This market has almost everything - i saw one stretch of the platform filled with vendors selling shoes.. nice to see it .. almost all the brands ranging from Caterpillar to Bata were available.One guy was appling black liquid polish on a brown foam show :)

Another beautiful trek

It was an amazing weekend with one more beautiful trek. Had been to Bandaje falls and BelrayanDurga over the weekend. Came back today morning at 01:00 hrs.

an amazing trek over different kinds of terrains and different climatic conditions... an experience that will be remembered till the next best trek :)

experienced scorching heat, lashing rains, chilled breeze/wind, beautiful mist , dark clouds, clear night-sky with twinkling stars , ice-cold water (and also no-water) , pencil snakes, mongooses, bisons, ruined fort walls, scary view from the top of the falls, people with guns(who were mistaken for naxalites), pet dogs etc etc....

Madikeri / Coorg

Starring : Me, Jatin, Nagendran, Meeliya
Start Time : 10:30pm,Friday , 6th April, 2007
End Time : 5:30am,Monday , 9th April, 2007
Approx expense per head : 900 INR

Itinerary
Bangalore - Kushal Nagar - Bylakuppe - Nisargadhama - Madikeri - Bhagamandala - TalaCauvery - Madikeri - Bangalore
@ Madikeri - Abby Falls, Royal Tomb, Fort, Raja's seat, Omkareshwara temple

Pics at PICASA

Expenses (Per head):
Bangalore to Kushal Nagar(Bus) = 131 INR
Kushal Nagar to Bylakuppe(Bus) = 5 INR
Bylakuppe to Nisargadhama (Auto) = 12 INR
Nisargadhama to Madikeri (Bus) = 17 INR
Lodge @ Madikeri = 150INR
Madikeri Sight seeing = 100 INR
Madikeri to Bhagamandala (Bus) = 22 INR
Bhagamandala to TalaCauvery (Bus) = 8 INR
TalaCauvery to Madikeri (Bus) =27 INR
Madikeri to Bangalore (Bus)= 246 INR
Food = 150 INR

North Karnataka Tour

Just back from my North Karnataka tour.

Pics @ http://picasaweb.google.com/venkat83/NorthKarnataka

Itinerary (Summary):
Bijapur - Almatti - KoodluSangama - Aihole - Pattadakal - Badami - Gadag - Lakkudi

Detailed Itinerary :
Day -1 (Saturday - 17th March, 2007 )
Bijapur

• Gagan Mahal
• Jod Gumbaz
• Taj bawari
• Uppali Burz
• Mailk-e-Maiden
• Ibrahim Roza
• Gol Gumbaz
• Bara Kamaan

Almatti Dam

KoodluSangama

Day -2 (Sunday - 18th March, 2007 )
Aihole

• Durga Temple
• Lad Khan temple
• Hucchimalli Gudi
• Konthi Temple Complex (Kwanthi Gudi)
• Two-story Buddhist temple
• Meguti Jain Temple

Pattadakal

• Kadasiddeshvara Temple
• Jambulinga Temple
• Galaganatha Temple
• Mallikarjuna Temple
• Sangameshvara Temple
• Virupaksha Temple

Badami
Caves 1 to 4

Gadag

• Trikuteshwara temple
• Saraswati temple
• Someshwara temple

Lakkudi
Manikeshwara temple and the Muskinabhavi

Expenses
Bangalore to Bijapur = 301
17th March
Guide @ Ibrahim Roza = 50
Bijapur to Almatti (Bus) = 35
Almatti to KoodluSangama (Bus) = 17
KoodluSangama to Amingadh (auto) = 10
Amingadh to Aihole (Bus) = 8
Entrance fee @ Ibrahim Roza, Gol Gumbaz = 10
Misc - Lunch, Dinner + water Bottles = 100
Double Room Charges @ Aihole = 200

18th March
Entry fee @ Aihole, Pattadakal , Badami= 20
Aihole to Pattadakal(Auto) = 16
Guide @ Pattadakal = 50
Misc - Lunch, Dinner + water Bottles + Grapes = 100
Pattadakal to Badami ( Van ) = 20
Badami to Gadag (Bus) = 41
Gadag to Lakkundi (Bus) = 4
Gadag to Banglaore = 220

Total Expenses = 1200 INR

Somnathpura and Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Starring : Me & Arvind
Total Cost : 1400 INR
Start Time : 4:30am, 4th February, 2007
End Time : 6:30pm, 4th February, 2007
Somnathpura pics Photos here
Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary pics Photos here

Bitten by the "no-more-weekends-in-Bangalore" syndrome myself and Arvind decided to ride to Somnathpura and Ranganthittu on SUnday.

Somnathpura is situated on the left bank of the Cauvery river. The keshava temple was built in 1268AD by Somnatha Dandanyaka, an illustrious General of the Hoysala king Narasimha III(1254-1291 AD) and named after him.

This temple is a perfect example of the Hoysala style of architecture. It has three sanctums on the West,South and North to Keshava, Venugopala and Janardhana, all connected. It is an ornately carved temple of magnificient craftmanship depicting Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, Rathi-manmatha and mahishasura. The ceilings and door jambs leading to the sanctum sactorium are exquisitely carved.

There are inscriptions engraved on a slab standing at the entrance,inside temple , dated from 1269 to 1550 AD that detail the consrtuction of the temple and grants made to it.

The temple stands on a raised platform in the center of a spacious enclosure having 64 cells. This three celled (trikutachala) structure consists of three garbhagrihas, three antaralas and a navarang. It has a mahadwara standing on the east.

The basement of the outerwall is highly ornamented with friezes of elephants, scrolls, epic and puranic scenes, small images with intervening turrets and columns with fugures in between , number of gods and goddesses and their attendants adron the walls. The lathe turned pillars and delicately carved 16 different types of ceilings are the characteristic feature of the hoysala art. The names of a number of sculptors are carved on the pedestal of the images. It is observed that Mallithamma has not only carved the maximum number of images but also carved the northern sikhara that of Janardhana cell.

Inscriptions engraved on a huge slab standing in the mahadwara and on the beams of the navaranga ranging in date from 1269-1550 AD give the details of the construction of the temple and several grants for the upkeep of the temple.

Ranganthittu was ok...not many birds though. I could spot only around 3-4 varieties.

Costs:
Petrol = 850 INR
Breakfast = 110 INR
Lunch = 130 INR
Misc = 40 INR

At Ranganthittu
Entry = 20 INR
Bike parking = 10 INR
Camera Charges = 20 INR
Boating = 20 INR

Sringeri Kalasa Hornadu

Starring : Me (alone)
Total Cost : 800 INR
Start Time : 8pm, 20th January, 2007
End Time : 7am, 22th January, 2007
Photos here

Motivation:
Saturday(20th Jan,2006) was pathetic as it could get. Spending a day in Bangalore(especially on weekend here has never been so easy for me).One of my pals had come down to my place and we wanted to have his lunch at McD(McDonalds@Forum) - appreciating his sense and taste i took him there and 'feasted' on a burger and coke - came back home - showed him my travel pics and bid adieu.Time:7pm.

Saturday was already over and i decided that i cannot afford to waste my Sunday like this. Decided at 7:45pm that I will visit Sringeri. Caught a bus to Majestic from Koramangala and reached the KSRTC bus stand by 8:35pm.
Luckily caught a bus to Sringeri - and got an end row seat ;)

Implementation :
And thus began my journey. Met a man(in his 30s) in the bus who introduced himselves as a 'vyapari' (businessman) and he told me that i can cover Kalasa and Hornadu along with Sringeri in a day - sounded good to me.

The bus journey from 4am was horrible. The roads were amazingly bad and i could feel each every spine in me; i was shivering badly, as i had just one wind-cheater with me.

Reached Sringeri at 6:45am (Sunday morning).I could see the beautiful Vidyashankara Temple from the entrance. Took a couple of shots from my cam and headed towards the Tunga river flowing adjacent to the temple.I was already told by my parents and my roomie to check-out the fishes in the Tunga river.I do not know the breed of the fishes - but these were one of the most healthiest fishes that i have ever seen - spanning aroung 1-2 foot long, black in color, they were silently feeding on the 'pori'(rice) and the marsh.I was still shivering , but decided that i will take a dip in the holy-tunga ('Tunga paana - Ganga snaana').To much surprise, the water wasnt so cold(or i didnt feel it, for i was all lost in the surrounding tranquility!!!) and i kept myself immersed for around 20-30mins;came out and took some snaps of the devotees and fishes.

The Vidyashankara temple amused me a lot - the architecture resembles that of Belur/Halebeedu. The raised pedestal surrounding the temple is a characteristic of the Hoysala architecture.spent some time pondering the resemblances in the architecture and appreciating the same.Then spent some time in the Sharada Devi temple (which is in the same campus). Goddess Sharada was decorated with flowers and her glowing face was like a magic potion to all the devotees.

I have been wanting to visit this temple for the past 3-4 years ; wishes fulfilled and time being 8:30am i decided to start for Kalasa from here ( also, i was informed by the temple authorities that the anna sadana will be at 1:30pm in the temple).

The serpentine roads through coffess estates was amazing.I could see the coffee harvest season in progress , with loads and loads of coffee seeds lying by the road to be picked up.

Kalasa
Reached Kalasa at 10:45am.

This small viallage+town is the abode of Sri Kalasehwara Swamy.The temple stands on a small hillock.

It is believed that during the wedding of Lord Shiva with parvati in Benaras(Varanasi) caused a heavy tilt in the earth's rotation and the earth started to move in bacause of the presence of all the gods and goddesses.Lord Shiva requested Sage Agasthya to travel downw South , so that the weight could be compensated. But Sage Agasthya had his own inihibitions and wanted to attend the marriage.Shiva promised him that he(Agasthya) will be able to see and enjoy the marriage from South. It is said that , it was here in Kalasa that Agasthya came and Shiva gave him the 'darshan'.Sage Agasthya could see the marriage from here. Hence, the marriage between Shiva and Parvati is celebrated with much grandiloquence every year here.The linga is a swambhoo linga - that is , it has emerged from the ground.

A small shop-owner inside the temple narrated this entire story and also told me that the 'punya'(blessings) that one gets by coming here is slightly more than the one that one gets by going to Benaras.He also informed me that the Mangala-Aarthi will be at 12:30pm and i can watch that , have food(anna sadana) at 1:00pm and then start for Hornadu.

This sounded good to me; waited for the aarthi to get over and had a mediocre lunch at the temple. It consisted of Rice+Sambhar(canarian) and Buttermilk.

Bought Coffee(80INR per KG),Tea(80INR per kg) and raisins(30INR per 300gms).The coffee is of the type 'Arabica-Robusta', with 80% coffee and 20% chicory) - this is a brand which is local to this part of the region.

Started from Kalasa at 1:50pm and reached Hornadu by 2:20pm.

Hornadu
This is the holy abode of Goddess Annapoorneshwari(the Food God, according to Hindu Mythology).The anna-sadana here is considered to be really good and people flock here to have a divya-darshana of the goddess and cherish the anna-sadana(which is like a prasadam).
I had lunch here too ;) and rested in the temple verandah for 2 hours.

Had a darshan of the Goddess(yea-yea...after lunch!!!) - Mata(Mother) Annapoorneshwari was amazingly beautiful and words cannot describe the grace and the aura that was filled in the Garbha-gruha of the temple. I couldn't move my eyes away from her - but alas, the crowd from the back were yearning to catch a glimpse of her and i had to move on :( but still the image of Goddess is still in my eyes.

Around 4pm, i went on a small stroll and trekked a little in the adjonining forests.Also, happened to see a Jain Basadi here.

Came back to the temple by 6pm and rested.Dinner was again served in the temple.Left Hornadu by 9:30pm and reached Bangalore(Majestic at 6am); and in my room by 7am.

Costs:
Bangalore(Majestic) to Sringeri =198 INR
Sringeri to Kalasa = 37INR
Kalasa to Hornadu = 6 INR
Hornadu to Bangalore(Majestic) = 280INR (it costs 180INR in KSRTC bus though)

Misc:
Night Dinner (Fri) = 40INR
Morning Tea(Sat) +Breakfast = 34INR
Sringeri PRasadam = 20INR
Kalsa Pics + Prasadam = 20INR
@Kalasa, Cofee Powder(1kg)+Tea Leaves(.5kg)+Raisins = 80+40+30 = 150INR
@Hornadu , Coffee+Tea = 8INR

Lalbagh re-visited