To combine art and spirituality, there is no better option than to visit three great sites in Karnataka. So we hired a car and left Bangalore towards
Sri Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola.
It is a Jain pilgrim center, situated about 150 km northwest of Bangalore. The hill is one solid rock about 500 feet above the ground. Around 500 steps have been cut out in the rock. I was sceptical about climbing those steps against medical advice and so availed off the official arrangement on payment to reach the top, on a chair carried by four men. My wife and Vahini preferred to climb on foot. Bravo...
Lord Bahubali is nude and stands erect facing the north. This monolithic image is carved beautifully with accurate sense of expression. There are curly hairs over the head and creepers encircle the legs up to the waist. The image is simple, gigantic but majestic. It is about 60 feet high. There is no monolithic image of this height in the whole world. One feels so humble and small, totally overwhelmed in front of him. What a great symbol of spirituality.
[The base of the statue has an inscriptions in Kannada as well as the oldest evidence of written Marathi, i.e. devnagari script, dating from 981 AD. ]
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BELUR Chennakesava Temple
We proceeded towards Hassan city for our lunch and reached BELUR
to see the Chennakesava Temple, originally called Vijayanarayana Temple, built on the banks of the Yagachi River, by the Hoysala Empire King Vishnuvardhana and Queen Shantaladevi in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas. Nowhere in the world can one see such artistic workmanship carved in stones. It was a feast to my eyes.
The intricate workmanship includes episodes from the Indian mythological epics, elephants, lions, horses and sensuous dancers wearing innumerable variety of ornaments, with no portion left blank in the stone. The entire edifice, the doorways, the ceilings, the birds, the animals, dancers and other figures are fully decorated as if they are full of life and vigour with variety of actions and movements. This place is the finest example of workmanship and architecture of erstwhile Hosyala Empire..I was surprised to know that the Hoysala sculptors have broken the custom and signed their sculptures. They engraved their names, titles and even the place of their origin at the foot of their art work. The Temple is now a popular place for tourists and is getting recognised as UNESCO world heritage site. Pillage and plunders apart, the art lovers of the whole world have many things still left and kept alive by a never ending succession of admirable pieces rising into view, side by side, up and down, for us to admire in this heritage edifice, even after a lapse of eight centuries. ----------------------------------------------------
Hoysaleshwara Temple, at Halebeedu
is a temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. It was built during the rule of King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. In front of the temple there are two Nandi Mantapas which are very beautifully carved. The main deity, Shiva in the form of a Linga is nicely decorated with jewels and ornaments and dashing back drape. It is stunning, amazing and impressive. The carvings depicting mythical stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana, along with other ancient sub-stories are exquisite. Another site of masterpiece works of art. Halebid means old abode. It is all about history and architecture. It is a visual treat to be seen and admired. Timeless......
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There are many beautiful sites on our planet, some that have been created by the forces of nature and others built by man.
Experiencing their beauty, first hand is exhilarating, but often there is much more to these places than meets the eye.
We were therefore impelled to explore the historic, spiritual and man-made wonders of South Canara. We joined the KSRTC tour programme starting from Bangalore. What a serene and pleasing experience it was....
HORANADU Annapoorneshwari temple
is located in the picturesque surroundings of Western Ghats of Karnataka. Horanadu is 300 kms from Bangalore, located in the midst of thick forests and valleys. "Annapoorneshwari" means "Feeding one and all", paying homage to the Goddess of Food.. The uniqueness of this temple is everybody who visit this temple are provided with food (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) and place to sleep in the temple premises.
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Sringeri Sharada Peetham
Sringeri Sharada Peetham is the southern Advaita Vedanta mutt or monastery established by Adi Shankara in 8th century AD about 100 kilometres from Mangalore. Adi Shankara is said to have lived here for twelve out of his short life-span of thirty-two years. The name Sringeri is derived from Rishyashringa-giri, a nearby hill where the hermitage of Rishi Vibhandaka and his son Rishyashringa existed as per an episode in the Bala-Kanda of the Ramayana. The Mutt is well maintained, feeding all the visitors in an excellent and hygenic dining hall. There were two big elephants attracting our attention.
[In 1791, Maratha cavalry raided the temple and mutt, killing and robbing the places of all their valuable possessions. Shankaracharyaundertook a fast in order to raise the attention of Maratha Royal authorities to his grievances and petitioned the Mysorean ruler, Tipu Sultan for help who ordered the supply of cash and other gifts and articles. Tipu's interest in the Sringeri temple continued for many years.]
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KOLLUR Mookambika temple
is about 150 kilometres away from Mangalore. Mookambika is said to have slain the demon Mookasura. The goddess is described as in the form of a jyotirlinga incorporating both Shiva and Shakti. The panchaloha image of the goddess on Shri Chakra is stated to have been consecrated by Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The temple is constructed on the banks of a tributary of souparnika river and in the middle of forest. Just in front of the temple, Kodachadri peak and mountain is visible, which is a delightful sight. There is no better refuge for seekers than this pristine place.
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Murudeshwar Mahadeva Temple
is now famous for the world's second-tallest Shiva statue. The 125 feet high Mahadeva Statue and 250 feet high Mahagopura are mind blowing. Mahadeva Temple gives an amazing experience which no words can express. The beauty and grandeur of the MAHADEVA seashore temple is to be felt and experienced. If you cannot imagine the magnificent greatness of Him, at least you can visually see an astonishing man-made image of Him here. The biggest attraction of Murudeshwar is an extremely tall marble statue of Lord Shiva in sitting posture. The giant lord Shiva statue right at the coast looks awesome, at night if you go around the statue it gives you an amazing feeling. The image of 20-storied Gopura and the two life-size elephants in concrete, standing guard at the entrance is a perfect blend of Scenic Beauty and Spirituality. The Tallest Lord Shiva statue known as the Kailashnath Mahadev Statue is in Nepal----------------------------------------------------
Kuuke Subramanya Temple.
Lord Subramanya is the deity worshiped in the form of a Cobra (Sarpa). Many devotees visit the temple for sarpa dosha
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Anne Gudde Ganesha Temple
is situated near to Kukke Subrahmanya temple situated at Kumbhashi, Udupi district 400 kms from Bangalore 90 kms from Mangalore Anegudde literally means elephant hill in Kannada,
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UDUPI krishna temple
is the most popular and crowded.The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels...Many interesting stories prevail about the installation of statue of Sri Krishna at Udupi.
One of the popular story goes like this. The main statue of Sri Krishna
at Dwaraka got completely covered by gopichandanam ( holy sandal wood). A sailor from Dwaraka loaded this heavy lump in his boat as ballast, in one of his trips along the west coast when it was caught in a terrible storm. The meditating Sri Madhvacharya sensed this by his divine "jnana" and he got the ship safely to the shore by waving the end of his saffron robe and quietening the storm. The pleased captain of the ship offered Sri Madhvacharya anything in the ship in return. Sri Madhvacharya asked for the sandlewood piece containing the statue of Sri Krishna. Later Sri Madhvacharya took it to the lake, purified it and installed it in the mutt. Another mild variation of the story is that the ship crashed to a rock and sank along with the statue near Malpe. After a few days when Sri
Madhvacharya came to Udupi for spreading his philosophy among the
masses. All of a sudden he woke from his meditation one day and traveled to Malpe with his disciples. As if he had discovered a new light, he took out the statue from the ocean, took it to Udupi and put it into the pond near the mutt. Later, on Sankranthi day he removed it from the pond, installed it in the main sanctum of the mutt and arranged for the daily worship of the statue. The pond where the statue was bathed came to be known as the famous Madhva sarovar and the sanctum where the statue was installed became famous as the Krishna temple. It is said that Sri Madhvacharya installed the statue in the later part of 13th century.
We were very much surprised to find that the Darshan of the Lord Krishna can be had only through a window with holes called the Navagraha Kitiki. The legend for this goes back to the 16th century.
During Sri Vaadiraja 's rule, Kanakadasa, an ardent believer of God, came to Udupi to worship Lord Krishna. He was not allowed inside the temple since he was from a lower caste. Sri Krishna, pleased by the worship of Kanakadasa, created a small hole in the back wall of the temple and turned Himself to face the hole so that Kanakadasa could see him. This hole came to be known as KanakanaKindi providing darshana to Kanakadasa. ----------------------------------------------------------
Gokarnatheswara Temple at Kudroli
of Mangalore. The temple was renovated in 1991 and inaugurated by Rajiv Gandhi, the prime minister of India . It was new experience to see the Hanuman in a very captivating stage.
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Shree Rama Kshethra
Shree Rama Kshethra is situated about 70 k.m from Mangalore. The Western ghats majestically overlook the forest scenery in which the temple complex is located.The place is noteworthy for its scenic beauty. Legend has it that Lord Rama stayed here for some time during his search for Seetha. The temple is majestic with artistic splendor full of beautiful designs carved by the sculptors and paved with rich granite stones of Rajasthan. The three chariots are the special attraction of the Kshetra,. a 75 feet high ‘Brahmaratha’ for Lord Rama, another 38 feet high chariot for Lord Aanjaneya and a 20 feet tall silver chariot. A beautiful garden with fountains and colourful lighting attracts the devotees towards this holy atmosphere.
Bajan is conducted here every year for seven days culminating in the grand festival of "Shri Rama Navami". Thousands of devotees of Shri Rama from far and near come to gather here. The chief deity is Shri Rama and there are 36different idols installed under the same roof. The temple constructed about 30 years ago is very popular.-------------------------------------------------
Dharmastala.
Originally this place was called Kuduma. The History of this place says that, one day about 800 years ago, angels in the form of human beings came to house of pious people, Barmana Heggade and his family. The couple received the visitors with joy and respect. Impressed with the hospitality and the treatment given by the family, the angels appeared in their dream and promised to stay at Kuduma. They also ordered Barmana Heggade to give donations and food for the needy everyday. As per the wish of the angels Barmana Heggade built temples for Kalarahu, Kalarkai, Kumarswamy and Kanyakumari and performed the rituals and ceremonies from time to time. Sometime later when Annappa Swamy, the messenger of the angels brought Shivalingam from Kadri in Mangalore, Heggade built a temple of Manjunatha Swamy and installed the Kadri's Shiva Linga there.Henceforth, several ceremonies were held together for Manjunatha Swamy and the angels. Kuduma became Dharmasthala, the place where Dharma is a way of life.
On an average the flow of pilgrims is about 10,000 people a day. A mechanised kitchen provides free food for all pilgrims and there are guest houses with modern amenities. A Jain Tirthankara is worshipped beside Daivas and Lord Manjunatha (Shiva) for the Heggade family. Free food is provided to devotees who come in thousands every day.The temple has modern machinery and makes quality food continuously throughout the day.Temple does not differentiate between the rich and the poor for the Anna Dhaana.The dining hall is known as "Annapoorna".
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Be still, and know that I am God.
To know something, to believe something, and to have faith in something are all different things. They reflect degrees of our involvement with knowledge. Beliefs are ideas or opinions about reality, not reality itself. It is up to you, how you perceive it. Your perception alone guides you. No one else can perceive what you could. It is totally yours.
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