Sunday, April 22, 2012

An Evening at Bekal Fort, Kasaragod

'Bekal Fort' (Wiki)
Flying High
Lonely
Waves Kissing the Rock
Shadow Play
Golden Waves
Perfect End to a Hard Day's Work
A Photographer at Work 
Captured

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Karnataka's Khajuraho - Bagali in Monochrome

 The "Kalleshwara Temple" in Bagali is considered to be one amongst the most unique temples of India. One of the rarities of this temple is the presence Rathi and Manmatha (Goddess and God of Love) as Dwarapalakas. This temple was built in the 10th Century AD by the Chalukyas and  later developed by the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar Kings. There are 62 erotic sculptures on the outer wall of the temple and thus referred to as Karnataka's Khajuraho. Do enjoy the pictures in Monochrome and a short video about this temple (Courtesy TV9 via You tube).
Rathi and Manmatha 
The Kalleshwara Temple Complex
The Kalleshwara Temple
Kalyani and the Keerthistambha
Meticulously Carved Door Frame
Pillared Alley
Ceiling Carving
Lord Brahma , Eshwara and Vishnu (Top row) and Gajalakshmi (Bottom row)
Impressive Lintel Carving
Killing of King Hiranyakaship 
Erotica



Sunday, April 1, 2012

Fort Bhairavadurga, Kuduru Betta

 Ever since we read about the existence of  Navadurgas (Nine Forts) around Bangalore, our hunt for these were on. It is rather surprising that information on the Navadurgas is limited along with the ambiguity about the nine forts and the basis of them being called as Navadurgas. We were confident about eight forts out of the nine namely Savanadurga, Kabbaladurga, Huthridurga, Devarayanadurga, Makalidurga, Channarayanadurga, Nandidurga and Huliyurdurga. The ninth one listed, Bandallidurga, did not sound convincing since its location ( M M hills) somehow seemed to be  far away from the Bangalore circuit. When we read about  Bhairavadurga , we thought that it fits this list perfectly, though not sure. Not much of history of this place is known except that it was built by Kempe Gowda II and later was conquered by Tippu Sultan and the British.
Bhairavadurga Hill
The Path
 Every now and then, we were haunted by our incomplete trek to Fort Bhairavadurga. On a early Sunday morning, we decided to conquer this fort second time around and set out towards exploring Bhairavadurga. Having chosen a wrong path along with a wrong time for climbing this hill last time, we ensured all was well during our ascent this time. We inquired about the right route to the hill top from locals . We began our climb slowly and steadily and after some time, we came across a fleet of steps which gave us some relief since the trek until then was quite tiresome.  The end of flight lead us to the first tier of the Fort. Hereon, we followed the trail up to the next tier and continued until  we reached a spot which looked tricky to climb without any support as it was very steep. There were remains of  iron rods embedded in the rock which probably served as a support system for climbing. After crossing this, it was a leisure walk to the top tier.  There is a water spring or Dhonne (in Kannada) in between two massive rocks on the hill top with well laid steps. The water in this spring never dries up even in the severest of the summers. There are big boulders and a few ruined structures on the top .The views from the hill top were outstanding.
Final Tier of the Fort
 Spring (or Dhonne in Kannada)
Balancing Act
Boulders and the Ruined Structure

Base of a Grinding Stone
Bird's eye view of Kudoor village
Glass/ Poly-House
Lord Anjaneya
There is a cave temple dedicated to lord Bhairaveshwara on the other side of the hill . The Antaragange temple in Kudoor village is considered to be more ancient than the Fort. Unfortunately, this temple was closed during our visit.
View of Shivagange
Crumbling Walls 
Panoramic View
Sun Basking
 Directions from Bangalore - NH 48 - Solur - Right Turn -Kudoor - Left Turn - Travel a kilometer, then take a Left Turn to find an Arch Entrance - Reach the Fort Base
 Distance from Bangalore - 55 km

References:
1. Navadurgas 
2. Deccan Herald
3. Fortmapper

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