Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Birth of A River - Kumudvathi Theertha, Hosanagar Shimoga

While we were in search of the Kumareshwara temple located near Humcha, Shimoga district, most of the the locals we inquired from, guided us to a place called Kumudvathi Theertha. Without having an idea about this place, we headed towards it. We stopped by at the entrance of the village where the temple of Bileshwara, dedicated to Lord Shiva was located. A board directing towards Kumudvathi Theertha (Spring/Pond)  was present by the side of the temple. We inquired at shop nearby the temple about the route to Kumudvathi Theertha, which is the birth place of river Kumudvathi, which from here flows across the district of Shimoga. We walked a few yards and sighted a pond and were happy that we found the place we were in search of. Further investigation of this pond  revealed that it was built during the year 1945! Thanks to the information stone laid nearby the pond. Now, the only question in our minds was whether this was  the same  place we were looking for!?
Kumudvathi Theertha 
Water Pond
Information Stone of 1945
 We decided to explore a little further just to confirm we didn't miss anything interesting. We were surprised and excited to see that our 'exploring a little ahead' formula had brought us to the actual Kumudvathi Theertha!. We initially thought of it  to be a rain harvesting pond, but while discussing with a nearby shopkeeper about it post-visit, we came to know of the existence of 3 water springs in the hills around,  through which the pond receives water through out the year and that over time, the water force had reduced owing to the closure/blockage in one of the water springs. After spending some time at the theertha, we proceeded towards the temple of Bileshwara.
Kumudvathi Theertha
Birth of A River 
   The main temple of Bileshwara looks completely renovated but the smaller temples and hero stones give us a clear picture of the antiquity of this temple, probably built by the Hoysalas. 
Bileshwara Temple Complex
Hero Stone
Inscriptions
Lord Shiva Temple
Broken Hero Stones

Wishing all of you a very Happy Deepavali!!!(Festival of Lights) Have a safe and soundless Diwali!

25 comments:

  1. Wow you are doing a fantastic job of documenting all these wonderful structures and introducing them to us!! Thank you!

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  2. Wonderful captures of such a beautiful place!! The temple complex is so colorful!! Thanks as always for sharing the beauty and the fascinating history! Hope your week is going well!!

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  3. Happy Diwali to you and your family, it is widely celebrated in Toronto. Thanks for sharing this interesting place.

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  4. Such interesting places! I like that Hero Stone.
    Green Tomato

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  5. Wonderful.. Ideal lighting for photos and you seem to have exploited it well... Have a wonderful Diwali with your family and friends...

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  6. Glad they are renovating the beautiful temple. Happy Deepavali!

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  7. What an interesting and informative post. It's interesting that you found both the birthplace of the river and that beautiful temple as well.

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  8. Nice post & photos.
    Happy Diwali to you and your family.

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  9. Very informative post with lovely pictures...

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  10. 'birth of a river' - perfect way to title that spring. :)

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  11. That is very interesting find. Nice post!

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  12. Great shots and interesting information.

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  13. Charming images of a beautiful temple.

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  14. How gorgeous and amazing it is! Beautiful photos!

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  15. Interesting place. Those are very intricate hero stones. I've seen only simpler sculptures!
    Bhusha's INDIA TRAVELOGUE

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  16. Great shots. It is nice to visit these little known places.

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  17. So much to be discovered and surely there is soooooo much to learn.

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  18. this must have been such a beautiful place at one time. its sad to see the lack of water in the springs and the modern renovations to the temple which have robbed it of its original beauty. but you are doing a wonderful job of bringing such forgotten temples to light. keep it up!

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  19. Wow! What a discovery, Love your discoveries.Hoysala? I doubt

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  20. Please anyone give the route map to this place from Shivamogga

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    Replies
    1. Shivamogga - Ayanur - Ribbonpet - Humcha - Bileshwar about 60 km from Shivamogga..

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