Brahma Jinalaya - The Outer Mantapa

By Tharangini

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In our efforts to bring more stories to spottedowlets, Meera and I decided to visit Gadag, with the intention of exploring both nature and the extravaganza of ancient architecture in and around that place.

We will be attempting to bring in as much information as possible from all the temples we visited, hoping to do at least some justice to magnificent structures we visited. 

Meera has already given a brief history of Lakkundi, so let’s dive in. Starting the journey from the Jain temple or ‘Brahma Jinalaya’ at Lakkundi,  we visited this fascinating structure at midday during midweek. Needless to say, we had exclusive time there. 

A view of the temple

Lakkundi – A Medieval Wonder

By Meera

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Lakkundi, the village and streets

There are still some hidden, ancient heritage spots in Karnataka that do not see much interest or tourist footfall, and reasons are many for that. Lakkundi is one such place in Gadag district which is neither part of the Hampi tourism circuit nor part of any other circuit. Just about 11 kilometers from the town of Gadag, Lakkundi, once a powerful Kingdom is today a veritable treasure trove of temples and stepwells.

Chitrakarini Temple: Creative Heights

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from part I

Have you ever heard of a temple that is dedicated to a woman painter? Well, Chitrakarini temple must be the only temple in the world acknowledging the skills and creative expressions of an artist.
 

Chitrakarini Temple

Chitrakarini Temple - The Paintress

By Meera

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If you are visiting Bhubaneswar on a leisurely holiday, try to explore temples that do not see crowds nor much interest. Apart from Lingaraj, Rajarani, Ananta Vasudeva and other such famous temples in this city, there are other architectural monuments that are ancient and highly impressive for their carvings.

 

View of main temple. The four outer towers are not seen here.

Odisha’s Rajarani Temple: Symbol Of Love

By Meera

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The Raja Rani temple

Odisha’s Rajarani Temple: Symbol Of Love - Part II

By Meera

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Continuing from Part I

Temple wall having columns with floral, ornamental carvings

 

Ashokan Rock Edicts: Odisha’s Pride

By Meera

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Thousands of battles have been fought in this country the last 5000 years and one gets to read and know about them in various forms. However, one of the largest and deadliest battles, the Kalinga War in 262-261 BCE is etched in History as it took a horrendous human toll (about 2 lakh people were killed & maimed).

The rock edicts

Somnathpur Temple - A Poetry In Stone

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from Part I

All that occurs within the walls of this temple is uplifting and elevating. In this temple of Chennakeshava in Somnathapura, lies the purest essence of workmanship and abilities of ancient sculptors. As I go around taking a close look at the walls with such fine details, I wonder at the ultimate accomplishments of humans that were achieved sans any powered tools.

Somnathpur Temple - A Hoysala Marvel

By Meera

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A childhood memory of an ancient temple with its unbelievable architecture took me back to the banks of River Cauvery in the Mysuru district of Karnataka state. Although one can see the footprints of many dynasties in the erstwhile royal kingdom of Mysore, the one in T. Narasipura taluk is certainly breathtaking.

 

Besides, if any temple from the Hoysala architectural style stands out amid many bygone structures, it is the Keshava temple at Somanathapura town. It is said to be the most ornate and perfect model of Hoysala architecture. However, one can see the ravages of time as it looks bereft with both invaders and nature taking a toll on this exquisite monument.

 

Outer wall of the temple

Varaha Temple – Hampi’s Exquisite Past

By Meera

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Long shot of the Varaha temple surroundings 

We were roaming around the rocky terrain of Hampi and were eagerly looking for a glimpse of the elusive Yellow Throated Bulbul, when we stumbled on the ruins of a temple that was never on our itinerary. This recently renovated temple is located on the banks of the mighty Tungabhadra River. It can also be seen on the way to the Vijay Vittala temple from Hampi town.
 

Anegundi: Nava Brindavana Shrine

By Meera

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Although Tharangini, Adhikari and I have visited Hampi many times and have also gone out of the way to search for unknown spiritual and heritage spots but we have missed going across the mighty Tungabhadra River due to paucity of time. Spread across the rolling hills of the Deccan Plateau between Hampi-Anegundi, there are many such hidden spots all along the river that an ordinary tourist would miss.

All the nine saints in living samadhi

Durga Temple In Anegundi

- Colorful Prayers, Playful Macaques and Incredible energy

By Tharangini

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Our trips to Hampi have been quite a few, but each visit we get to see someplace new. Well, that was unintentional rhyming,  but the fact remains that in our last visit to Hampi, we took off to see one more extremely colorful temple in the vicinity.

The tree that has become a prime identity of the temple

Talakadu -Vaidyanatheswara Temple Carvings

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from Part III

The Sri Vaidyanatheshwara temple has seen many additions and expansions between the 8th and 14th centuries during the rule of the Gangas, Cholas, Rashtrakuta, and Hoysalas. And, therefore, one can see the footprints of these dynasties in many temple sculptures and carvings.

A plethora of intricate works.

Talakadu: Vaidyanatheshwara Temple

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from Part II

A visit to Talakadu from Bengaluru is pretty easy and comfortable. One of the most prominent temples of Talakadu, the Sri Vaidynatheswara Swamy temple is full of manifestations of Lord Shiva. This is one of the oldest temples excavated in Talakadu, the quaint pilgrimage town for many devotees of Shiva, and should not be missed. 

Vaidynatheswara temple 

 

Talakadu – Keerthi Narayana Temple

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from Part I

As we walked on the hot sands, we were dead tired and wanted to return to our homestay. Suddenly a temple unfolded before us at a very great depth that was so eye-catching that we forgot all our aches and pains. Taking images of that temple became a race against time as the light was fading away and I also did not want to miss seeing the interiors of the temple.

 

Keerthinarayana Temple

Talakadu - In The Sands Of Time

By Meera

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The nearest places for weekend outings from Bengaluru are many but very few places shine with ancient historicity and a glorious past. So, if one sifts and chooses the right one, there is one such place tucked on the banks of the Cauvery River. Although it is hot and quiet, it beckons one who is interested in the glorious heritage of this country. So, if you are interested – do make a trip to Talakadu. It has a few homestays but nothing more to boast of.

 Cauvery river at Talakadu

Venkatappa Baavi - The forgotten well

By Tharangini

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After a long sabbatical, thanks to the pandemic, I am here again trying to connect with my writing side and hope I can hold on to your attention for maybe about 3 mins, for that's how long this article is. 

 

 Our Friday morning started off pretty comfortably, without the regular hectic agenda we usually pack into our trips. But after having to abandon our visit to the Vaali caves, due to an unfortunate leopard attack in the area earlier followed by the multitude of hurdles we had to cross to visit the megalithic paintings, (visit Meera's article here ) we were not sure what to expect at the Venkatappa Baavi. 

 

A view of the beautiful structure

Anegundi Rock Paintings -II

By Meera

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Thank you for joining me from Part I 

For thousands of years, the Tungabhadra River Valley has been a repository of human endeavor and we see this manifestation in the Anegundi rock paintings. How the pre-historic colors of Anegundi cave paintings have managed to survive on open rock faces for thousands of years is a mystery. They seem to have used red laterite clay for the painting which is easily available in this part of the world.

The Cave shelters from the Iron Age in Anegundi

Anegundi Rock Paintings

By Meera

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Visiting the World Heritage Site of Hampi year after year has become a pilgrimage but this time after a let up in the pandemic, our Spotted Owlets team traversed to some offbeat places in this ancient landscape. There is something more to see around Hampi and in the neighboring land of Anegundi, we got to see some rare and prehistoric rock art that is off the tourist track and hardly visited by anybody.

 

Anything to do with stone age or new stone age and relics from any era is very fascinating as one gets to know how humans lived during those days. We have seen dolmens, menhirs, iron tools and many other things in Shivamogga, Bengaluru and Ballari districts but the Onake Kindi rock paintings of Anegundi in Koppal district is amazing as it has survived till date.

View of the hillocks with gate closed

Shivamogga – New Stone Age

By Meera

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Shivamogga is considered to be the Gateway to Malnad with its vast forests, waterfalls, and heavy monsoons. But the verdant district hides a very ancient past when humans were still learning to develop stone tools and implements. Now how many of you know that this district has more than 25 stone age settlements.

 

Tool from new stone age era