Sri Keshava Temple, Somnathpur

Karnataka is probably the only state in India where a number of exquisitely sculpted rock cut monuments of the historical period are present. Karnataka is rightly called the abode of stone architecture by historians. One temple that has stood testimony to the above claims is the

Sri Keshava Temple at Somnathpur. It has also stood the testing times of Nature and Natural Calamities for nearly 8 centuries.

The first sight of the Splendor of Hoysala Architecture.

The Lamp Tower

The main of the three Sanctuaries

Somnathpur is a small village located near the Karnataka-Kerala border. The village is situated on the banks of river Cauvery and a drive of around 140 kms south-west of Bangalore takes one to this village which is frequented by all the patrons of Architecture and sculptures.
I was surprised to see the historical facts relating to the Somnathpur temple inscribed on a stone slab at the entrance of the temple. Written in Old Kannada script (which is the local language), it informs that the King who ruled during the time the Temple was built was Narasimha III (1254-91 A.D.). The brainchild for the construction of this temple was the Commander of the Army, Sri Somnath. The Sri Keshava temple at Somnathpur is regarded for its precision in symmetry with exquisite stone carvings.

The Somnathpur temple stands in the middle of a walled compound. The star shaped temple has carved pinnacles. The star-shaped sanctum – sanctorum and low elevation today stand as testimony to the style of Hoysala architecture.

The surface of the outer walls of the Temple is covered with beautifully sculpted plaques of stone depicting various Gods and Goddesses in different postures. Most of these plaques have been inspired from Ancient Hindu scriptures. Another striking feature of the temple is that it has 16 different ceilings - each ceiling depicting various stages of a blooming plantain.

This is an Idol of Lord Krishna surrounded by attendants, playing the flute beneath a tree.
The Lord’s dress and crown are richly ornamented with highly sensitive carvings. This typical ornate and intricate style of sculptures makes the Hoysala Architecture styles one of the easiest styles to recognize in Indian art.

This is one of those exquisite carvings that i came across during my visit. On the left is the Idol of Lord Ganesh in Dancing postures. Lord Vishnu seated on the sacred serpent Sri Aadhi Shesha. Between the panels is a female drummer. Another aspect of these Temple is that the sculptures are signed (Square Panels at the foot of the idols) under each main panels by the respective sculptors who worked on that particular panel. One name that occupied almost all the signatures in the temple was that of the great sculptor of that times Mallitamba.

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha

The Meditating Vishnu

The above 2 idols were the ones that took my breath away. I was so fascinated by the beauty and delicacy of the carvings that these 2 idols need a mention. The one on the Top is that of Goddess Lakshmi seated on the Lap of Narasimha( One of the Incarnations of Lord Vishnu).

The other idol is that of Lord Vishnu in Meditation. this particular idol reminded me of
Sri Buddha who happens to be one of the Incarnations of Lord Vishnu himself.

Truly, I realised that i am really blessed by the great Gods to be Born on this Earth that has a lot on offer. It's such a beautiful World that a mere 100 years of Life is not enough even to read about the places on this earth forget about visiting.

Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangapatnam.

This is one of the important places in the History of India.
Srirangapatna, a town dedicated to Lord Sri Ranganatha is also referred to as Paschima Ranganatha Sannidhi by the locals. It was also the capital of the Rulers of Mysore, The Great Hyder Ali and His son Tippu Sultan Also referred to as ‘Tiger of Mysore’.

The main Tower in front of the Temple.

The Village is surrounded by the Waters of the River Cauvery. Sri Ranganatha swamy Temple is one of the most important pilgrimage centers for the vaishnavas. The temple is one of the largest in Karnataka, houses the Deity of Lord Vishnu resting under the Hood of the Snake ‘Adhi Shesha’. The snake has positioned itself in such a way that it has circled it’s body to make a bed and raised its hood to provide shelter to the Lord.

The deity of the Lord is very powerful in terms of faith. It is believed that Tippu Sultan often used to talk with the Lord Ranganatha himself. Though I had heard about this by my grandparents, I was curious to find anyone vouching for the facts. I was surprised when some locals whom I met agreed to the fact that Tippu and Ranganatha used to have conversations and that this was told to them by their ancestors. As I had mentioned in my earlier post that Tippu was a great believer of Lord Shiva, this was another incident of Tippu’s faith in and his devotion to the Lord.

It is also believed that there is Secret Passage from inside the Temple Leading directly to Tippu Sultan’s Palace. I heard locals saying that whenever Tippu wanted to talk to the Lord even in the middle of the nights, he could reach the Deity of the Lord through this Passage without being noticed by others.

Sri Sharada Temple, Sringeri.

Sringeri, also known as ‘Sringa Giri’ is located at a distance of 90 kms from Chickmagalur town on the banks of river Tunga.

Goddess Sharada, the presiding deity at Sringeri Temple has been consecrated by the Great Adi Shankaracharya. Goddess Sharada is worshipped for excellence in Learning, Knowledge.

Sringeri is known as the place of Learning. Sringeri also has an ancient temple of Vidyashankara, which is a fine example of artistic transition from Hoysala to Vijayanagara style of architecture.

Built in 1357 AD, the Structure of the temple is enriched with carvings of various big and small Hindu gods enshrined in niches with ornamental towers. A linga has been installed in the memory of Guru Vidyatheertha in the Sanctum sanctorum of the temple. To the north of this temple is a more recent temple built by skilled craftsmen of the 20 the century and houses the highly venerated Sharadamba image. The new temple is built in the Dravidian style. A small 14th century temple of Janardhana close by is attributed to the Vijayanagara period.

Apart from the temples of Sri Sharada and Sri Vidyashankara, which attract devotees from all parts of the country, the Shrine of Sri Malahanikareshwara is not only known for its age old antiquity, but also as an important shrine which the Acharya Himself venerates and worships on special occassions.
The mode of worship at Sringeri is characterized by reciting of Vedic Hymns and flowers of all kinds.

The place is accessible by Air, Road and Rail as well. the nearest airport one has to board or alight from a flight is Mangalore - 110 Kms.

Sri Rama Temple - Chunchunkatte

The Idol being worshipped is that of the Lord Sri Rama - One of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Chunchunkatte is a small village at a distance of 48 Kms from the Royal Historic city of Mysore. The village is accessible by road. The village has found significance on the international map too.

The annual Cattle fair is the biggest fair of such kind in the world and is conducted in the month of January every year. Millions cattle sellers / buyers from adjoining Villages participate in this fair.

The temple is adjoining the gushing waters of the River Cauvery. the best time to visit this temple is after the monsoon, when the river is in full flow.
The place has an Circuit House / Inspection Bungalow. If you are lucky enough, then you will find accommodation or else you have an alternative of staying in the Temples Own Marriage Hall which is constructed just opposite to the temple.

The main deities worshipped in this Temple are that of Sri Rama, Sri Lakshman and Goddess Sita (Sri Rama’s Consort). There is uniqueness about the positioning of deities in this Temple. If one can notice, this is the only Temple where the Goddess Sita is standing to the right of Lord Rama. In all other temples Goddess is to the Left of Lord Rama.

From Left to Right - Goddess Sita, Lord Rama and Sri Lakshman.

One can never be deprived of Special Hosts welcoming you to Lord Rama Temples. You guessed it right. MONKEYS. You will find them aplenty in all the Temples across India. Normally these monkeys never intend to do any harm, except hunting for Food, especially Bananas being their favorite.

Welcome Pilgrims. We look forward to a good time with you.

If you try to chase them away, there is always a risk of putting yourself into trouble. If you show them a Banana, am sure you can reach Mysore on Foot, Running of course.

The main thing that one should consider to be careful is save yourself from the monkeys. Basically, they won't do any harm unless you want to check on them.

Temples of South India.

This is a series on the Famed Temples of South India.
When i talk about the Numerous Temples that exist in Southern India, The first Temple that Fascinates me is the 'Sri Nanjundeshwara Temple' at Nanjangud.

The Gigantic Entrance to the Temple

Nanjangud is a small town 22 Kms from the Historic City of Mysore and 165 Kms from Bangalore. The town is surrounded by Industrial Area on the North and the chilling waters of Kapila River in the South. Thousands of pilgrims throng the Temple each day and many take a dip in the divine waters of Kapila river. The industrial area is house to many Multinational Companies like Nestle India Ltd, Brakes India Ltd, etc to name a few.

There are various and interesting Idols of Gods for the pilgrims visiting this Temple. Lord Ganesh, Goddess Sharada- The goddess of Learning, Goddess Parvati , Lord Vishnu - Protector of the Universe, Navagraha temple - The nine gods representing the Nine planets and finally Nandi - the Bull.

Apart from all the above, the one thing that has fascinated me over the numerous visits i have paid to the Temple in the last 3 decades is the Emerald Shivaling- fondly referred by the locals as 'Pachche Linga'. This particular shivaling was donated to the Temple by Tippu Sultan, the Great Mohammedan king. It is beleived that Tippu Sultan's Personal Royal elephant was suffering from long sickness and the king had tried all places to get the elephant cured. when everything failed, the king , one night whlie he was asleep had a dream of the Lord Nanjundeshwara appearing and curing the Elephant. The king woke up startled at this divine dream and rushed to see the ailing elephant. To his utter disbelief, he was shocked at the same time ecstatic to find the Elephant Healthy and rejoicing. Immediately the Sultan hired the best of sculptors to make the Emerald Shivaling. The Emerald Shivaling was donated to the Temple and From that day, it's beleived that Tippu sultan - Mohammedan King became a great devotee of Lord Nanjundeshwara.

The Hall where Head Tonsuring ceremony takes place and The Chilling Kapila River

The Temple is famous for many annual celebrations and rites during Festivities. One must really be blessed to witness the Temple on the 'MahaShivarathri' Festival, which falls during Feb or Early March of each year. The sacred activities like Head Tonsuring, Car Festival etc is carried out under the supervision of the Temple Administration.

Nanjangud has been famous for Bananas since ages. The locals address to these bananas as 'Nanjangudu RasaBaale' meaning the sweetest and tasteful Banana from Nanjangud.

But sadly, nowadays one finds it difficult to get these bananas, as there is scarcity of cultivators of these gem of a product.