Horsley Hills

    After the umpteenth disappointment of being to overcrowded places,Horsley hills came with a breath of fresh air for us.The green canopy which started almost from Chintamani stayed on all through our visit to this off beat hill station in Andhra Pradesh.The climb to the hill was green ushering us to the top ,and the blossoms followed us everywhere .  That was exactly what we were longing for , a place away from the maddening crowd ,in the lap of nature,to quench our parched urban souls.

An early morning  four hours(with frequent breaks for breakfast and photography)drive from Bangalore, via Hoskote,taking the Chintamani bypass,via the small town named Madanapalli and we were at this small and quiet place as if designed only for us.Andhra Pradesh tourism provides  the main staying option here .The Haritha resorts of Andhra Pradesh tourism is spread all over the hill,with only a few other stay options .

 

the APTDC  reception

the play area inside the  APTDC property

the pool inside the resort

a walk to the cottages of  APTDC

   The  APTDC restaurant is probably the only place where food is available.,but the quality is very good.Lunch and dinner is a vegetarian buffet ,but one can get non-vegetarian food on order.

The restaurant from its well landscaped garden

....and again ,from the steps of the restaurant,while gorging on ice creams at the steps of the restaurant

Though our preference was to stay in one of those cottages above ,we could not get a booking there,so we stayed at the building below

                       The Haritha resorts have many stay options of suites ,cottages and even the Governor's bungalow which is now rented out by the tourism board.The rooms are all very well maintained and each location is  splendid.The Wind Whistle ,the Castle Wind ,the Whispering Wind being few  of the beautiful accommodations.

The conference hall

A lazy walk to the sunrise point early morning

Walking to the sunrise point is something one should not miss,as the roads are in excellent condition and would motivate even a late riser to take up this exercise,the green surroundings with the chirping birds and  flowers of every hue is an additional bonus .

Morning tea at  a shack after sunrise

     The environment park is a small walk from the resort,with few deer ,few species of birds like the peacocks and emu and  reptiles,

A small little temple by the road,surrounded by gulmohar blossoms 

     Breakfast at the Haritha restaurant was wholesome ,it was a  hot south Indian buffet I shall always remember .A walk down through the forest department area after a very heavy breakfast was what we were doing ,when we came across this forest department cottage and many more such beauties ,which almost inspired us to extend our stay.
     Right behind the forest department cottages was this very old eucalyptus tree,planted by  the collector W.H. Horsley himself ,the tree is named Kalyani locally.

The bungalow above was the collector W.H.. Horsley's bungalow,now used by the forest department as a guest house.

      Horsley hill is the perfect get away when our tight scheduled lives start getting dull.As you are not flooded with a list of points to see ,here ,as soon as you step out of your car ,you are for once left with the option of looking around you and enjoy the verdant nature around you.Untouched,unexploited and rejuvenating,Horsley hills can inspire us to make wildness a way of life.

     Almost 160 kms from Bangalore,275 kms from Chennai,and very close to Tirupati,Horsely hills has a wide range of activities to offer.You can trek down to the Nature Centre ,relax at the Sapthagiri spa with a body massage,watch the crocodiles bask in the morning sun,indulge in photographing birds  and flowers in magnificent colours ,or simply dare to say that you do not wish to do anything for a day or two.

Things to remember
The nearest railway station is at Madanapalli at the base of the hill,Madanapalli has many shops to cater to our needs .Food can be packed from this place while driving uphill as there are many options here.On our way back from Horsley hills we had lunch at Swad restaurant at Madanapalli,Food was excellent there ,and I would highly recommend the place.

One should not forget to carry light woollens there,as the weather can get chill.Proper footwear should be carried because the trip involves a lot of walking.

Talakadu ...... the city buried in sand

       Mysore beckoned us once again, this time with a different story, and we were soon on the way to land  of myths and tales .......About a three hours drive ,away from the hustle of the city of Bangalore,on the outskirts of Mysore ,lies this small desert like town of Talakadu.

    The road had been green so far  since we had taken  the deviation from the highway . Then the sign boards slowly started getting  visible . We were the first people to visit the place that day as we reached there at about 9 in the morning.We sighted a temple  close to the parking and  decided to visit it later. First a temple and then a pond in an enclosure ,we had not yet caught up with the barrenness of the place. But  a few metres of walk and we realised why Talakadu is said to have turned into a desert town.





       ..As you walk to the other temples all you can see around are sand dunes .Our feet sank into the sand as we walked The path to the other temples all within the radius of 1 km ,was covered with an asbestos sheet . ,The scene around us, I felt was quite  a mismatch ..sand dunes with eucalyptus and cashew nut trees !!!!!!

 


History and folklore


  Talakadu has since a long time attracted many tourists due to the folklore it is associated with.It is said that a vibrant city once existed at this place  ,as it was the capital of the Ganga dynasty.Power changed hands and Talakadu was ruled by the Cholas and the Hoysalas before it was taken over by the Vijaynagara kings .

     When the  minister  of the Vijaynagara  kings, Sri Ranga Raya  who was in charge of Srirangapatnam  fell ill the Wodeyars of Mysore established their stronghold over this place .Sri Ranga Rayas  wife ,Alamelamma possesed some jewellery which she did not wish to hand over to the Wodeyars .She was chased by the soldiers of the Wodeyars ..when she ultimately threw the jewellry into the river Cauvery and  jumped into the waters .As she gave up her life she laid three curses ..on this land .  The first one being "Let the land of Talakadu , which they wished to posses ,become a desert" .The second "Let the river Malangi become a whirlpool ."and the third "Let the Wodeyars remain heir less in every generation". Ironically ,the place got filled up with sand in due course of time ,the river Malangi has very strong currents flowing,  and the kings of Mysore bear a lineage of many adopted heirs.

     Our long walk had almost come to an end (walking through the sand made it appear longer than what it actually was.)We could see the tip of the shrine of a temple from a distance as the temple was excavated out of sand .The major part of the temple was below ground level.

        

 In fact this was the case with all the temples here,...the temples which were centuries old were all excavated out of the sand ,and were barred from getting buried once again with walls around them. The archaeological department  is doing a commendable job ,by making every effort to keep these temples from getting buried .Efforts of the afforestation department could be seen ,the place now has a good green covering ,even though they are  trees growing on sand.

There were five temples in all,each of which was a Shiva temple ,but the one which was the best in terms of craftsmanship and sculpture was the Vaidyanatheswara temple

The   Vaidyanatheswara temple

A stone chain carved out of a single stone at the Vaidyanatheswara temple

Architecture

   The Vaidyesheswara temple was the one which had  mixed features  of the Ganga ,Hoysala ,and  Chola  dynasty and was the only temple which was not covered by sand.
All the five temples are Shiva temples that are excavated are in worship  and a  fair named Panchalinga Darshana takes place here every 12 years.It is said that there are nearly thirty more temples that lay buried in here


    No matter how appreciable the workmanship of the temples were, I could not keep myself away from the fascinating   folklore of this place. Researches had told that in the fourteenth century one of the ministers of the Vijaynagara kings had built a dam on the  river  flowing adjacently,thus changing the course of the river, consequently exposing the river bed .Over a period of time the strong winds have blown the sand to the neighboring bank,gradually burying the place under  metres of sand.
  Another theory says that a geological fault line runs across the Cauvery here.The east side of the river subsided resulting in a pool, which explains the whirlpool as cursed by the queen.So with these facts, myth takes a backseat and rationality wins.However the third curse by the queen could not be  explained and so the mystery of Talakadu remains unresolved.Though I heard the explanations and was convinced to a large extent ,but deep down, I still wanted to believe that the curses were responsible for Talakadu's fate.
   

      In a nutshell ,Talakadu is a place where one can visit temples , go for a coracle ride in the Cauvery and enjoy birdwatching,  ,gaze at the amazing craftsmanship of the people of the bygone era or simply stroll with your feet deep in the sand ,and listen to stories of an unrelenting widow ,whose cries still resonate among the sands of Talakadu

Somnathapura Temple,Karnataka

     #temples in South India #Hoysalan architecture#Somnathpura#Incredible India#Karnataka#ancienttemple




   A general of the Hoysala king Narashima III, builds  a temple and  dedicates it to lord Krishna or Keshava in the  Mandya district of Karnataka. He does this  probably to prove the architectural deftness of the Hoysala period apart from the military prowess , which they were already so acclaimed for.And thus was created another masterpiece!!!!.The Kesava temple at Somnathpura (Somnatha Dandanayaka being the name of the general) is merely another example of the Hoysala architecture,....one of the many gems that are strewn all over the Deccan.

     It was my third visit to a Hoysala temple,the first two being the Chennakesava temple at Belur and the Hoysaleshwara temple at Hallebedu.if the other two were awe inspiring in terms of ornate carvings ,the Kesava temple at Somnathpur surely  did not fall behind.

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      We set out for our visit to this place early (at around 5 in the morning) to avoid the heavy traffic on the Mysore Bangalore highway,and took a deviation at Mandya .Mandya district  , the sugar capital of Karnataka,.greeted us with  sugarcane fields on the way.The drive to the temple after crossing the town of Mandya is beautifully pleasing.With the Cauvery meandering nearby and the land iirigated from the K.R.Sagar reservoir, it was lush green all the way.We crossed the many bridges on the Cauvery on our way ,since the river Cauvery splits into two here,forming the Cauvery and the Kabini.,and also forms huge meanders all its way.Whatever be the reason we enjoyed the drive.The day was little cloudy with intermittent drizzles,and a huge lake (the Malavalli lake) on the way made it all the more soothing.

      We had   an unique experience before reaching the temple There were many of these all along the road. Jaggery making is a cottage industry in this area.We actually stopped by to watch this process at one of those units.

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And finally at the temple........



     The temple is a welcoming place to visit with well maintained lawns at the entrance. You can actually spend some quite moments there if the weather is good.

    The Hoysala rulers came from the Malnad region of Karnataka ,Malnad is  a hilly region between the Belgaun and the Coorg plateaus of Karnataka,and had gained prominence between the 11 th to the 14 th century. they are now remembered primarily for their architecture kept alive by the numerous temples built during that period  in the Deccan.

      That is the best capture I could get ,waiting for quite sometime for the crowd to disperse,but as you can see there were many people inside the temple still. The temple is no longer in use unlike the Chennakeshava temple ,the crowd inside were only busy clicking the inner walls which is equally intricate as the outer walls.The entire structure is carved out of soapstone like all other Hoysala temples

        According to the Hoysala architecture the very characteristic feature is the vimana or the tower which is  a blend of the North Indian shikara and the South Indian vimana style...and as a result is called the vesara  style of architechture . The picture above of the carvings on the outer wall of the temple reiterates the same where the shikara and the vimana styles are both carved side by side thereby stating that this is  a blend of the two forms of architecture.
    Another very important characteristic feature of the Hoysala architecture is the jagati or the elevated path made for circumambulation (pradakshina) around the main shrine. This was very prominent in the Somnathapura temple ,though it was quite noticeable in the Chennakeshava temple at Belur too. The jagati at the Somnathapura temple was beautifully star shaped,encompassing the  three garbagrihas.The picture below shows the temple from the western end ,or from behind ,as the temple faces east.

The picture above shows the three towers from behind the temple.

The carvings of mythological characters on the outer walls of the temple

Few of the many defaced statues as a result of the future invasions

The intricately sculpted walls with stories from the epics which I cannot resist sharing

           As already mentioned the inside of the temple was as elaborate as the exterior ,but  two things captured my attention inside .The first one being a small lamp carved out in a pillar , reminding us of the no electricity days  ,when evening prayers were held with probably these oil lamps lighted.The inside was pretty dark even in broad day light and all these clicks of the interior were taken with the  flash on .

The other interesting thing was the small carved figure with folded hands 

  on the floor at the entrance  ( I am still curious to know what that it stood for)

 The many carved facades on the roof inside each one having a different pattern

     Temples formed an integral part of life in those days ,where every ceremony in ones life revolved around it . Religion was the one of the very few forms of entertainment or recreation a few centuries ago . The huge courtyards tells the story of the number of people who gathered here very often..So one can well estimate the importance of temples then ,and that probably explains the time spent and the pain taken for these humongous works of art.

    The idol no longer exists,but this temple continues to lend an aura of grace which makes it stand apart from all other temples.  It does not cease to pull crowds ,history buffs or not alike.  

    Temples are not always visited out of religious pursuit,I silently reaffirmed this inference once I was on my way back from the  temple.

Colonel Bailey's Dungeon,Srirangapatnam

   A stone's throw away from Srirangapatnam railway station lies Colonel Bailey's Dungeon.This is perhaps the least noticed and least visited place of the many places of interest in Srirangapatnam.
     Srirangapatnam is an island formed by the Cauvery as the river bifurcates forming this island and again meets at Sangam. The entire place of Srirangapatnam is dotted with such monuments which speak about the life and struggles of the Tiger of Mysore and it also urges us to know more about our struggle for freedom.
   The small town of Srirangapatnam was once the capital city of the great Tipu ,and is also the place which witnessed the 4 Mysore wars.  It goes without saying that it was the  hub of many political activities in the 18 th century ,  many scars of which are still visible,at this place...Colonel Bailey's Dungeon is one such place which was used to keep  British prisoners of war captive during the four Mysore wars.

     Hyder Ali and then his son Tipu Sultan both  had tried to bar the British extend their empire to the south.It wasn't an easy task  though  ,as the British had already joined hands with the Nizams and the Maratha.

In the war of   Pollilur   , Colonel Bailey and his troops were defeated by Tipu ,and the British officer was held captive here till he breathed his last in 1782.  Later many more British high ranking officials were held captive here like   Captain Baird and Rulay and Colonel Sampson  and Frazer.

   The dungeon, as you can see in the picture above are built a few metres below the ground level ,this was probably so ,to keep it away from view and to make it easier for the sentries to keep watch over the prisoners.  Every effort was made to make the place completely inaccessible to any outsider ,as the stairs we used to go down to the dungeon also did not exist then ,it was made only for the convenience of the tourists. The  four stone slabs that can be seen at the distance on the wall were the  ones used to enter and leave this place

  Once inside, it looks like this with domed archways and walls on all sides. The clean interiors do not speak much of the morbid state it used to be in the past.This place used to be filled three fourth with water in those days ,with captives chained to the walls. It was only in the recent years that the place was cleaned up and painted before a visit by the President Sri Abdul Kalam Azad

That's my husband giving a demonstration of how the captives were chained to the stone blocks and dunked in water for hours 

The picture above shows the holes on the stone blocks through which the captives were chained to the walls. When observed closely ,the place is full of such small details  which substantiate the purpose of this place, that it is not difficult for one to get illusions of prisoners chained and tortured here during the wars.

  The most interesting thing inside the dungeon is the huge wrought iron canon lying right at the centre of it. There are many theories explaining its presence there ,according to some ,the canon rolled out of its place and fell through the roof while Tipu was waging a war against the British,while other theories explain that the canon was always kept there but during a bombardment a bomb fell straight through the roof and chipped off a portion of it .Very aptly, for both explanations the roof has an open portion just above it.

The mark left on the canon probably by the bomb

It is so said that the bomb was actually targeted at Tipu ,as the British had expected him to be here at that time ,but fortunately he was not  present in the dungeon.

The above picture shows an opening

 in one corner of the dungeon,which was later discovered as the entry to a secret tunnel connecting the dungeon to the palace. Secret tunnels have always fascinated me,and this one could not stop me from thinking that Tipu made surprise visits to this place through this tunnel.

And guess what is this ...probably the place in the wall which was used to fill the dungeon with water from the Cauvery ,at least that is how our guide put it.

The captives here were prisoners  of war and so security was very important,the openings on the walls above the dungeon to keep watch and to fire the canons from.

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 The first picture above shows openings on the walls for firing bullets at any attackers but very interestingly   I got this  second picture when I placed the camera inside the hole.....it had three openings to shoot at different directions...hats off to the  military  ingenuity of those days.

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 The dungeon was very strategically built,  the river Cauvery formed a natural moat behind the it .This river must have been more voluminous before the dams were built. The dungeon  which in itself was a small fortress was located inside the fort of the ruler ,needless to say the importance it had for the Sultan!

                Keeping Indian rulers and Sepoy captive by the British was a routine affair during the British rule,but a place built exclusively to keep  British prisoners of war  captive by  an Indian ruler somewhat induces  a sense of pride in us.

Tipu was well known for his valour and his military ingenuity   , his rockets had not failed to awe the British. The relatively simple  brick and mortar structure which we had just visited, actually stood in silent testimony to the same valour and the mettle that was so quintessential of Tipu Sultan.

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Srirangapatnam is located about 14 kms from Mysore and 125 kms from Bangalore and lies on the Mysore Bangalore highway.It is very well connected by rail and road ,there are also buses plying regularly to Mysore from Bangalore.The dungeon lies very close to the railway station ,one can visit the Ranganatha Swamy temple ,which is only half a km from this place.The place where Tipu's body was found is also very well marked and lies very close to this place.  Srirangapatnam is generally visited from Mysore as a one day  trip, though there are very good boarding options here itself .We stayed at the KSTDC property ,Mayura River View about 2 kms away.