Diary of a monsoon road trip in Maharashtra and Karnataka - Part 2

June 26.

Finally, the day we get to see the Badami cave temples. Didn't disappoint. The setting of the glowing red sandstone rock and the views, as much as the temples themselves. Built by the Early Chalukya kings from the later 6th to 7th centuries.  

The iconography was very similar to that in the caves at Ellora. The outstanding sculptures set against the walls were the 18 armed Nataraja (said to be unique), Varaha lifting up the earth, Vijayanarasimha, Vishnu in a seated pose (also unusual). Added bonus was to see traces of  painting on the walls (detectable by us only after taking a photo of it) and inscriptions in old Kannada script. Cave 1 was dedicated to Shiva, 2 and 3 to Vishnu, and 4 was a Jain temple, all patronised by the Chalukyas. Though cave 3 was the biggest and had the most carving, I felt that the ones in cave 1 were better, with a more delicate touch. 

Our guide, Raju Kalmat, has been doing this job for 25 years. He would have made a good teacher.  One always thinks that one can do without a guide in these places, and certainly there is enough to gaze and wonder at by oneself. But it's the smaller details that only they can point out.  

We decided to walk to the sites and back both in the morning and afternoon, as the distance was less than two kilometres. Saw a bit of the local life which goes on pretty much like in any small town,  almost totally unconnected with the amazing monuments just next door. Pigs and monkeys were everywhere. Have never seen so many pigs running around in any place I have been to. Why?  The monkeys were busy pelting stones at people from the rocks above the caves.  Small settlements co-exist cheek by jowl with the monuments, with people washing their clothes in the beautiful Agastya lake and draping their wash on the rocks and fences. I noticed that practically all the houses were pucca and the lanes concrete. But grubbiness and garbage everywhere.

After lunch at one of the innumerable Lingayat Khanavalis dotting the main road, we revisited the site. On the other side of the lake was the Bhoothnath temple. A very pleasing structure and the setting on the quiet side of the lake was beautiful. Ended by visiting the small museum.  Located in a small building made to blend with the surroundings. Someone had some sense when they designed it.   

We were exceptionally lucky to have cool, breezy, cloudy weather which allowed us to spend the whole afternoon walking around and sitting at the lakeside.

Agastya Lake and North Hill

Bhoothnath Temple

June 27. 

Today was the day for Aihole, about 40 kms from Badami. Called the cradle of South Indian temple architecture because of the number of temples dotting the small area (about 150), and also the experimentation with different styles. The Dravidian, with storied pyramidal roofs, the curved roofs of the north Indian Nagara  style, and a style unique to the area with sloping roof tiles interspersed with log-like projections. We went from one site to another. 

The following were memorable for me:   

The Durga Temple

the well preserved Durga temple with its unusual oval shape at the back; the Meghuti hill fort and Jain temple mainly for its location with stunning views all around; and the Ravanphadi cave temple with its beautiful dancing Shiva. Aihole seems to be some centre for ox carts. At the base of  Meghuti hill, we had to park our car in the midst of a good number of oxen, buffaloes and carts. In Chalukya times, it was known as a prosperous commercial centre. Hard to  believe now. 

Our plan was to explore the North Hill back at Badami in the evening. But by the time we woke up from an exhausted siesta and got over there, we only had time to see the lower Shivalaya temple, although we got a splendid view of the town below from there. Kannan was very disappointed we couldn't go higher. Access to the North Hill is not easy. Even autos can barely make it through the narrow lanes of the adjacent settlement full of pigs, dogs and little children playing.

Jain Temple on Meghuti hill

June 28.

Yesterday evening we made a spur of the moment decision to head next towards Gokarna on the coast, in order to avoid reaching Bangalore before Padma's guests leave our house. Both of us felt that we had reached a saturation point with historical sites, and wanted a different experience.

But first we had to complete the trinity which we had come to see. So by 6.30 am we were on our way to Pattadakal, about 15 Kms away.

Unlike Aihole, the Pattadakal temples are all grouped together. This made it much easier to see. In those times, it must have been a busy place, with so many places of worship. The main point of interest in viewing these temples was seeing those in the southern Dravidian style and the northern Nagara style literally rubbing shoulders with each other.  It also has a living temple, Virupaksha, where local people were busy with their daily worship. Its twin temple, Mallikarjuna, was just a monument.   

The Arabian Sea at Gokarna

One thing we have noticed is that the carvings in structural temples like these were in much poorer shape than those in the cave temples. The real interest of the Pattadakkal temples was less in the carvings than in seeing so many temples of different styles in one place.

Packed up and left Mayura Chalukya around 10 am. We found it to be a spacious and comfortable, though not swank, place to be, with friendly people, right from the office staff to the waiters and cleaners. No airs.

On the drive to Gokarna, passed through fertile fields, followed by teak forests and then the ghat. Descended quite fast to see the sun coming down over the vast expanse of the sea just before we drove into Paradise Holiday Resort. Were greeted by a pleasant manager Suraj Padiyar and several friendly local dogs.

June 29. 

The lawns of the Mayura, Chitradurga

Rain, rain, rain.  Throughout last night from 7 pm onwards. Continued with barely a few minutes break into the morning. Our plans of early morning scrambling down to the beach, or spending another day in this pleasant spot, all went up in smoke -- or rather, dissolved in the deluge. We booked the Mayura hotel in Chitradurga halfway to Bangalore, and left quickly after breakfast. Maybe we can come back here again in better weather.

Arrived around 5 pm in dry and sunny Chitradurga. It now feels comforting to come to a state run Mayura hotel. You know what to expect, and the locations are great.  This one is located just opposite the fort, so we plan to visit it early morning before we leave. The broad road dividing the hotel from the fort has very little vehicular traffic and is used by local people as a promenade. It was nice to take a leisurely walk up and down this road and watch the citizenry stroll around, chat with each other or sit on the benches. People seemed quite friendly, going out of their way to ask us where we were from and suggesting places to see.  A long quiet evening after that sitting on our room porch and enjoying the pleasantly cool air outside, while watching the sun set behind the fort. 

June 30. 

Our last visit on this trip was the real surprise. We never expected the Chitradurga fort to be so captivating. Easily rivals many of the better known forts in the North in size, points of interest, historical colour and jaw-dropping scenery. Especially noteworthy were: the temple to the rakshasa king Hidimbeshwar; the many 'honda' (tanks) which ensured that the population inside never ran out of water; the tall stone swing posts; and the Okave Obavva Kindi.  This was the small hole in the rocks through which Tipu Sultan's soldiers tried to sneak into the fort, only to be smartly rapped on the head one by one by a vigilant woman with her okave (mallet), until she herself was killed. Tipu eventually took the fort, only for it to be later taken by the British. Initially constructed by the later Chalukyas in the 11th to 13th centuries, the fort was later occupied by the Nayakas and even the Vijayanagara empire. A whole lot of history there.

   

The one black spot. A senseless 'no contact' entrance system, in which you have to scan a QR code, enter a whole lot of unnecessary details such as the number of your ID card, nationality etc, and pay Rs 20 per person online. Obviously, there would be many glitches in the process. This resulted in crowds of people gathering around the lone security guard who could help them, and much delayed entrance. And all this to enter an ancient fort in an out of the way town, with no valuables in it! Getting into Parliament is probably easier. Since we had never seen something like this in any other site we have visited, I assume it's some hare-brained scheme being tested out on a pilot basis.  A great way to discourage tourism.

Getting back into Bangalore was smoother than expected, mainly because it was in the off rush hour period (if there is such a thing in Bangalore). We decided to end the trip in a holiday manner by grabbing paninis for lunch at a place just 5 minutes before home.

*     *     *     *     *     *

I started these daily jottings because I found that I remembered very few details of past trips we had done. I remembered the big picture and there were some snapshot memories of those earlier trips, but not enough remained in my memory. At my age, the capacity to remember details is bound to be even less! I set myself the not too ambitious goal of jotting down just a couple of paras a day on my mobile phone.

I began with the idea of just recording names of places and people, and some historical events and dates. However, the experience of the trip couldn't be confined to this, and stray thoughts and observations worked their way in.

Monsoon skies over Chitradurga fort

Adding photos was a later idea. I realised that one rarely looks later at photos in one's mobile phone, and figured how to transfer the most interesting ones to my computer via email. Once they were on my laptop, it took only a little more figuring out to insert them into the diary.

Looking again at the photos, I could see that a dominant theme was the monsoon, and especially the monsoon skies. What dramatic and eye-catching skyscapes there were!  One may have been trying to get a picture of a monument, but in looking at the photo one could see that nature easily rivalled the man-made construction.

The other theme was the Chalukyas. From the little Chandramouleshwara temple in Hubbali to the Chitradurga fort, they were ever present. I had of course heard about the Chalukyas in passing in my Ancient Indian History class, but knew little about them beyond the name. Travel opens up the mind, and also helps to give a more concrete form to the past.

This was a journey through a part of India which was not very familiar to us, despite being not too far. That added to the charm.  Living in Bangalore, and earlier Delhi, one tends to be a little metro-centric.  This is after all a land of small towns and villages. I don't want to romanticise life in these places, but it is good to come out of the confines of gated colonies in the cities.

Monsoon road trip in Maharashtra and North Karnataka - Part 1

Birds - Kokkere Belluru and around

The road to Kokkere Belluru branches off to the left from the Bangalluru Mysore highway a few km short of Muddur. If you see Adiga's hotel to your right, you have come too far. Take a break there, have a Muddur Vada and Coffee and make your way back. As the road climbs uphill you will see the cut that allows you to turn into the side road.

Little Egrets in a paddy field

Driving on the country road, one sees green agricultural landscapes. It is the second week of January and paddy is still being transplanted in some fields

Ragi has been harvested and farmers are engaged in threshing and cleaning the grain. I come across just one mechanical thresher driving from the Mysore road to Kanakapura. Most threshing is done by laying the stalks on the road and taking the help of passing vehicles to pry loose the grain.

Arriving near Kokkere Belluru, I find the villagers very helpful. When I ask directions from a bystander, he shouts to some people standing some distance away asking them if the Kokkere (storks) have arrived.

I first think he is having fun at my expense. It turns out that I am already in the village and he wants to make sure that the birds are there before directing me further.

Kokkere Belluru

A Grey Pelican on the Kokkere Belluru Banyan

There are two Banyan trees, one on either side of the road near the village water tank and these are host to numerous families of Pelicans. Another
species of visitors (storks?) will arrive in a week or two, the villagers tell me.I stand beneath one of the trees and gaze upwards.



The air is filled with groaning. Dozens of Pelicans are roosting on a single Banyan tree.

Pelican Landing

A Brahminy Kite

A Little Egret on the same Banyan

Igalur Dam

Driving down through fields and little villages, I take a diversion to Igalur dam after reaching the outskirts of Igalur town.

A large lake has formed on one side of the dam, on the other side, the river carries away the water being let through. A thick jungle of reeds and water hyacinth lines the nearer shore of the lake. A swarm of Coots laze around at the edge of the clear waters. There are several birds in the reeds - I can make out a Purple Swamphen family. Steps lead down to the river from the road laid on top of the dam.

A Great Egret, Asian Openbill and a pair of
Black Winged Stilts

Walking on the rocky river bed to the edge of the stream, I am able to get close to the birds that are busy fishing. Cormorants, Openbills, Stilts, Egrets and Herons are to be seen.

A Cormorant

Pond Heron

Black Winged Stilts

A Common Kingfisher

Purple Swamphen

Driving over the Iglur dam, I continue on the road till a T junction where I turn left. Here I come across a pond with several species of birds. A tree near the pond is populated by Pelicans.









And then on the National Highway between Kanakpura and Bangalore, I come upon this large lake with a colony of Painted Storks.

 

Gentle flows the Kapila

Deccan Herald carried an edited version of the following piece on a few days spent in rural Karnataka in its Tuesday supplement, 'Spectrum'

I get up early and enjoy the morning air in the garden, cool, fresh, and invigorating, while waiting for my friends to step out. We walk down to the roundabout that marks the entrance to the town and then take the road heading out.

A few paces on, we come to a bridge that crosses a pretty river. We have not seen anyone else on the road, but there are the proverbial early birds for company – a black and white wagtail perched on the railing of the bridge, a snow-white egret, breeding plumes showing, wading close to the weeds on the riverbank. Crossing the river, the road 

cuts a straight path through fields. Day is yet to break and land, river, and sky appear in muted colors.

We walk through a vast flat expanse of green marked by strips of brown. It is mid March and green is the color of the just transplanted paddy, brown earth marking the borders. A light mist veils the line of trees near the skyline in the far distance, awaiting the heat of the sun to be dispelled. Occasionally, we pass a field that is flooded, reflecting mirror like, the trees standing beyond, in the dim and diffuse light.

Presently, we see a group of women and girls, in colorful dress drawn up to their knees, planting paddy. In the far distance, a farmer is walking his pair of bullocks harnessed to a plough. Paddy field birds abound - Cattle Egrets, Pond Heron’s, Black, and White Ibis. A flock of noisy Rosy Pastors has made a roadside tree with berries their temporary home. By and by, there is more activity on the road with farmers on cycles and the occasional motorized two-wheeler. The pale orange globe of the sun is just visible over the line of trees, as we retrace our path to the guesthouse.

We are in rural Karnataka, in the small town of Suttur, about 30 kms South East of Mysore. The river flowing by the town is the Kabini, more commonly called by the beautiful name Kapila in these parts. Suttur is chiefly known for the Mutt of Jagatguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara, a Veerashaiva saint and the annual jathra organized by the Mutt, and visited by lakhs of farmers. While the work that has brought us here is with the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra, the Mutt has graciously accommodated us in its beautiful guesthouse.

Last evening, after getting here, our first foray outside was to the ghat on the Kapila, just five minutes away. The walk took us through paddy fields with standing water stretching all the way close to the river. Stone steps then led down to the river and we sat down to enjoy the view. Swallows were lined up in a row on an overhead electricity line, biding their time to swoop down and catch flying insects. A flock of Cormorants, looking out into the flowing water, occupied a large boulder jutting out from the river. The Kapila had a gentle flow and looked ever so peaceful reflecting the setting sun that was forcing itself, though weakly, through the clouds.

This evening, having finished with our meetings, we take a walk on the road through the fields. The sun disappears and lights up the western sky in magnificent colors – with brush strokes of yellow orange red and every shade in between, while above us, the sky is still blue. The water in the paddy fields turns pink holding a mirror to the sky. Evenings and mornings are truly to be savored here.

Our stay in Suttur extends over several days and we get the time to explore. We visit the shrine of Shri Shivarathreshwara and enjoy a free lunch along with scores of others at the Dasoha Bhavana run by the Mutt.

Hathinaru Kere

Learning of our interest in birds, the manager of the guesthouse tells us about a lake nearby that attracts local and migratory birds. The kere (lake) is next to Hadinaru village, about 10 kms from Suttur on the Nanjangud road. After a pleasant afternoon drive, we come upon the lake, a sizable water body with an irregular shape, the far corners not even visible. 

A villager helpfully guides us away from the metal bund road, along a cart track towards the opposite shore where we can get a closer look at the birds. After covering some distance on the track, we get on to a small path and then eventually make our own way through the vegetation to get near the lake.

A large flock of what seem to be mainly Glossy Ibis – glistening black birds with slender curved bills - is standing in the shallow waters. I badly miss my binoculars. As we get closer, an awkward looking Grey Pelican senses our presence and starts to move away. Another few steps and the Ibis take flight filling the sky with wings.

Little reedy islands stick out of the lake. On one, there is a clutch of Cormorants looking inward, seemingly engaged in their own Panchayat. I can see large flocks gathered in the further reaches of the lake, but it is too late to walk any further. The sun is going down and we start making our way back.

Across the metal road from the bund, there is a canal and beyond that, fields in different shades of green, extending as far as the eye can see – restful for tired eyes. This is rich farmland, well irrigated. I turn towards the lake and spot a cluster of colorful birds resembling ducks - with a broad white stripe above the eye and blue in their wings. I later identify these as Garganey, winter visitors, which Salim Ali informs, fly all the way from Northern Europe, and other similar latitudes to escape the harsh winters.

The sun has now become a disc of fire behind a tree. We have barely sampled the rich variety of birds that the lake hosts and it is time to leave. In Hadinaru Kere, we have chanced upon a quiet haven for the serious bird watcher, free of the noise and bustle of tourists who throng its illustrious neighbor, Ranganathittu.

Dewara Mara

On another day, we make a stop on the roadside near the town of Chikkahalli on our way to Mysore on the T. Narsipura road. Crossing a living fence, we enter a large plain field, in the middle of which stands this gigantic banyan tree, which the local residents refer to as the Dewara Mara (Gods Tree). The tree is believed to be over 200 years old and covers an area more than an acre. Dewara Mara has a pleasant symmetry about it, its trunks look stolid and its leaves glow with health, though old it maybe. I have seen other giant trees but none as beautiful as this.

Looking back on our trip to Suttur, I think of the many places that we could not visit – the ancient Shiva temple at Nanjangud, the confluence of the Kapila and Kaveri at Narasipura, the sands of Talakad with their buried treasures. And the many questions that we did not ask - like who decided to shorten the beautiful name Tirumakudalu to T in T. Narasipura. All this of course means that we will come to see the Kapila again.