Where would you like to be this Monday ?

From one Monday to another, I have been travelling and lost in the world of birds ..But given a chance this Monday, I would like to be here - a remote village near Halebeedu looking for some ancient temples which are in ruins..

The Old Dwarasamudra - Look beyond the Halebeed temple

A riot of colours interrupted my  journey. The golden sunflowers nudged each other as they carelessly tossed their heads in the breeze. A montage of lush fields bordered by hills with rotating windmills on their summits rushed past . The simplicity lent  a certain charm as I leaned against the trees and took in the silence. This was not a pleasure trip, but  a journey that took me down eons of history .  I was driving through  Malenadu or the hilly regions of Karnataka, in search of a capital town that remained lost amidst the huddled hamlets. 

More than 1000 years ago, sometime in the middle of 10^th century, a dynasty was born in the Malenadu regions of modern day Karnataka. They were called the Hoysalas. They were not born kings, but were tribal chiefs who rebelled against the then rulers Chalukyas and went on to establish their own kingdom. There were 14 rulers who ruled for more than 300 years and their reign spread as far as Madurai  in South to Lakkundi in the north . Their capital was initially Velapuri and then it moved on to Dwarasamudra . Today, we know the two towns as Belur and Halebeed. My destination however was the  ancient town of Dwarasamudra, where I was  looking for the remains of this dynasty .

My driver brought me to the 12^th century Hoysaleshwar temple in modern day Halebeedu  built by the aristocratic merchants, Ketamalla and Kesarasetti .The star shaped temple, a masterpiece of the Hoysala style of architecture was thronged by tourists who had probably just returned from the visit to the Chennakesava temple in Belur. Dedicated to Shiva and his pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, the main shrine here is named after  the Hoysala king, Hoysaleshwara, who commissioned the temple. 

A guide gathered his group of tourists and announced that there are more than 500 relief sculptures on the outer wall of the temple. I paused by to see the miniature friezes of elephants, horses and the mythical yalis .Stories from the Hindu epics and puranas were carved in stone here. As the tourists posed against the Nandi mantapas, I made my way inside into the temple, where another guide explained the importance of a Garuda pillar. There were carvings of soldiers with swords cutting their own heads.

“ These are not just dedicated to Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, but to loyal subordinates of kings who faithfully served them. The pillars are memorials  to those who were like garudas to the kings.” Narrating a story from the pillar, he referred  to the sacrifice of a devoted aide Kuvara Lakshma who along with his wife Suggala and thousand followers  ended their lives  after the death of the king, Veera Ballalla II.

The Hoysala kings are known for their style of  temple architecture, but most of the temples  today are either in ruins or  in an obscure village waiting to be discovered .Historical records say 1521 temples were built  while today 434 temples survive across 238 centres. My search for Dwarasamudra took me to some of them. There were ruins of old temples, Jain basadis and even the remnants of an old fort and a palace.

Halebeedu means ancient abode and I found myself in the old village which was once the  mighty Dwarasamudra . The Benneguda hill is a witness to the once powerful empire which ruled from the 11^th century capital. An ancient inscription in the village speaks of a battle fought here against the Kalachuriyas by Veera Ballalla II. A few tourists went boating on the lake. Interestingly that seemed to be the foundation of Dwarasamudra, which probably means Entry by Ocean.

The ancient Hoysala kings were ruling from Velapuri or Belur which was on the banks of the Yagachi river. When Vinayaditya decided to move to Dwarasamudra in the 11^th century ,he decided to build a canal to channelize water from Yagachi to the new capital. A tank was built and the Hoysaleshwar  temple was later constructed on the banks of the tank. An inscription on the tank gives away the name , Dwarasamudra which later became known as Halebeedu.” It means the old abode and we call it the old residence of Dwarasamudra, “ echoed the voice of the guide as I walked away from the throes of tourist into the bylanes of the ancient capital.

Hardly a stone’s throw away but cut off from the tourist circuit is a nonchalant hamlet Basadihalli with three Jinalayas . Dating to the period of king Vishnuvardhan, who was earlier a Jain called Bittideva , the basadis or Jinalayas are enclosed in the old Dwarsamudra town. A family enjoyed their picnic lunch as the watchman conversed with them .I walked inside amidst the rows of ornate pillars and realized the basadis have become the abode of bats.

The ASI board gave us some information. Dedicated to Parshwanatha, Shantinatha and Adinatha, these Jinalayas were built in memory of Ganga Raja, the army commander by his son, Boppadeva and to celebrate the victory of the king in the battle of Bankapura .The 16 feet tall sculpture of Parshwanatha with the four teerthankaras was a highlight of this basadi while the ornate pillars reminded you of the glory of the Hoysalas. Another tall pillar with a sculpture of Brahma stood outside one of them while the ancient well here was almost dry.

The afternoon breeze lifted my spirits as I followed the empty road in front of me .  It ended in a much smaller temple called Kedareshwar constructed by Vira Ballalla II in the 13^th century .Ironically, just a stone’s throw from the Hoysaleshwar temple, this shrine was devoid of tourists. An Indian grey hornbill perched on a branch overlooking a water body.

I took a detour and walked past a small hamlet. The Pushpagiri hill looked down upon me hidden by a cluster of small village homes. A gentle breeze led me down a small lane covered by a canopy of trees. As I strolled aimlessly, I stumbled upon an ancient kalyani, or pushkarni or a step well. A bunch of kids played on the steps and looked at me with a tinge of curiosity. The village was called Hulikere.

“ Huli means tiger and kere refers to a pond,” explained the watchman there.” This is Queen Shantala Devi ‘s private pond,” he added with a tinge of flourish. “You know, the security was so steep that even a tiger could not walk in to see her- that’s why its called Hulikere.” I took in the irony of security guards protecting the queen and her maids from tigers while bathing and pottered around. Small shrines adorned the steps of the well, while the fluffy clouds reflected in the waters . Frogs hopped around with the fish swimming blissfully in this heritage pond. Historians feel the shrines probably represent the cosmos with the zodiac signs and constellations.

An ASI guide book referred to a Bhuvanabhurana Catteshwara temple built at Hulikere by Cattaya, a subordinate of King Narasimha , one of the Hoysala rulers. When the king was going to Belur from Dwarasamudra , his carriage driver , Bittideva noticed a desolate temple and asked the ruler to give grants and renovate it. The king gave away dry and wet lands, a tank, oil mills for supply of oil to burn lamps and established a Saivite settlement with two rows of houses . Bittideva also received grants and built the Maideshwara temple and Bittideshwara temple in the vicinity. The area is today identified around Hulikere and Pushpagiri at the periphery of the Dwarasamudra.

A shrill cry of parakeets interrupted my reverie. The children  got over their shyness and were all willing to pose for pictures in return for chocolates .I continued my quest until I see the ruins . With the Bennegudda hill looking down on them, the remnants of the old city stood silently. Around it a strong fort was probably built. The fragments indicated that there seemed to have been a palace here as well, The Archaeology Survey Site also mentioned there were three temples in this complex, of which some friezes still remained.

 A few pedestals, including one with a Linga is in the centre surrounded by carved stones, while a few headless sculptures lay strewn around. This was the capital of a dynasty that once defeated the  Chola,  subdued the Chalukyas , overthrew the Kadambas and Pandyas and controlled the Kalachuryas before being destroyed by internal strile and finally ravaged by the Muslim invaders in the 14^th century.

The sky changed colours as dusk set in lending a purple glow. I sat on the steps of the ruined temple and ruminated over the dynasty’s end. Somewhere in the middle of the 13^th  century, the Hoysala kingdom was divided between two brothers, Narasimha III who ruled from Dwarasamudra ,and Ramanatha from Kannanur. The brothers fought over Dwarasamudra even as Narasimha III’s son Veera Ballalla III came to the throne. He eventually became the last king of the dynasty. Although he defended his capital , fought his uncle and kept the neighbouring rulers at bay, the final blow came in the form of Malik kafur, a general of Alauddin Khilji who invaded south in the 14^th century.

The invaders forced Ballalla III to submit and looted him of 312 elephants, 20,000 horses besides jewellery of gold and pearls.  Dwarasamudra was plundered and the temples destroyed as Ballalla fled to Belur and further south. A few years later, the king returned and attempted to rebuild Dwarsamudra , but the Muslim onslaught continued. As Dwarasamudra was further destroyed, the king fled to Tiruvannamalai , but died in Madurai while fighting the invaders. It is said the cruel blow came when “ the captured king was slain and skinned , his skin was stuffed with straw and hung from the top of the walls from Madurai. “ Ibn Battuta, the Morroccon traveler who was in the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, the reigning Sultan at the time records this as I put the history book down  with a heavy heart.

Outside the air became solemn as twilight set in. As the dynasty ended , Dwarasamudra disappeared into the dusty annals of history . Halebeedu took over from  Dwarasamudra and found its place in another map – the tourist’s agenda. The lights came up at the Hoysaleswara temple as the last set of tourists posed for a picture against the monument  and grabbed a piece of history unknowingly with them. The sun may have set on the dynasty a 1000 years ago, but they made sure they left their glory behind in the temples they have built. 

This story was published in Windows and Aisles, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airlines. If you would like to be a part of the Hoysala trail, leave a comment here , with your email ID and we will let you know when we plan the trail. If you would like to go on your own and need a help in planning an itinerary, do let me know as well. 

The story of how Dwarasamudra became Halebeedu

The villager gives me a vacant look when I ask him the route to Dwarasamudra, the 11^th century capital of the Hoysalas. I try again and this time I add Hoysala capital and temple as well. He responds with a toothless grin and rapidly gives directions in Kannada to my driver.

My search for Dwarasamudra however takes me to the portals of a famous tourist site, the 12^th century  Hoysaleshwar temple in modern day Halebeed .To the many tourists here, Halebeed is the capital , but Dwarasamudra is still alive in the ruins scattered in the old village

I walk beyond the bylanes of the temple into the old village where Dwarasamudra comes alive in the ruins . An  inscription here speaks of a battle fought here against the Kalachuriyas by Veera Ballalla II. A few tourists go boating on the lake, which was once the foundation of Dwarasamudra, which means Entry by Ocean.

A rustic calls me over to see another inscription .It says the Hoysalas were ruling from Velapuri or Belur from  the banks of the Yagachi river. When Vinayaditya shifted to Dwarasamudra in the 11^th century ,he built a canal to channelize water from Yagachi to the new capital. A tank was built and the Hoysaleshwar  temple was later constructed on its bank. “ And then , it was renamed as Halebeedu, meaning old abode, “ explains the villager as we walk together to see the ruins.

With the Bennegudda hill looking down on them, the remnants of the old city stood silently. A fortified palace and a pedestals of temples lie scattered. There is a Linga with some headless sculptures and some broken friezes  .This was the capital of a dynasty that once defeated the  Chola,  Chalukyas , Kadambas and Kalachuryas before being destroyed by internal strile and  ravaged by the Muslim invaders in the 14^th century.

I sit  on the steps of the ruined temple and read about the saga about the dynasty’s end. Somewhere in the middle of the 13^th  century, the Hoysala kingdom was divided between two brothers, Narasimha III who ruled from Dwarasamudra and Ramanatha from Kannanur. The brothers fought over Dwarasamudra even as Narasimha III’s son Veera Ballalla III came to the throne. He eventually became the last king of the dynasty as the final blow came in the form of Malik kafur, a general of Alauddin Khilji who invaded south in the 14^th century.

The invaders forced Ballalla III to submit and looted him of 312 elephants, 20,000 horses besides jewellery.  Dwarasamudra was plundered as Ballalla fled to Belur. A few years later, the king returned and attempted to rebuild Dwarsamudra , but the Muslim onslaught continued. As Dwarasamudra was further destroyed, the king fled to Tiruvannamalai , but died in Madurai while fighting the invaders. It is said the cruel blow came when “ the captured king was slain and skinned , his skin was stuffed with straw and hung from the top of the walls from Madurai. “ Ibn Battuta, the Morroccon traveler who was in the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, the reigning Sultan at the time records this as I put the book with a heavy heart.

Outside the air became solemn as twilight set in. As the dynasty ended , Dwarasamudra disappeared into the dusty annals of history . Halebeedu took over from  Dwarasamudra and found its place in another map – the tourist’s agenda. The lights came up at the Hoysaleswara temple as the last set of tourists posed for a picture against the monument  and grabbed a piece of history unknowingly with them. The sun may have set on the dynasty a 1000 years ago, but they made sure they left their glory behind in the temples they have built.

This was published in The Hindu, Metro Plus in my column, Inside Story. Coming up next - what to see in Dwarsamudra besides the famous Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebeedu.

On the quest for hidden Hoysala temples

Sipping a hot cup of ginger tea and lounging in an easy chair, I start penning my travel diary – “ This is the best holiday I’ve ever had …”  The diary goes blank after that ,as a pleasant lethargy takes over my senses and lulls me into a deep sleep. I dream about a colonial bungalow with warm fireplaces , an endless fabric of coffee plantations, birds  singing melodies and refreshing rains that purges my mind. A gentle tap on my shoulder and I wake up from my reverie, only to realize that my dream is real.

I am in a colonial bungalow in a coffee estate near Belur,  watching the rains bathe the landscape . Outside the frogs and the crickets are at it, creating a fusion of sorts, which only gets interrupted  when the birds take over. I stir out into the garden and the rain seems just right – neither a drizzle nor a downpour. I let the drops trickle down my skin as I let go with gay abandon . 

“Would you like to go to Belur or Halebeedu ? “ asks Vipin, the polite manager of the estate.  “ Neither, “ I say ,as I soak in the lethargy. He looks at me, a bit surprised, aware of my keen interest in anything Hoysala. But I am content to spend my last day in the estate , just like the way I spent the rest. Besides a walk in the plantations and a little bit of bird and butterfly watching , the rest of the day is given to vegetating. I could have written an ode to indolence  instead of a travel diary.

But my travel companion, Aarti insists that we  go to Dwarasamudra or Halebeedu as it is called today.  We discuss old monuments  and my mind wanders  off to a map of the ancient Hoysala capital, that I had seen in a book. There were several temples marked on it and I told her that three of them still elude me, even after my many trips to the Hoysala capital. “Lets go look for them,”  persuades Aarti, drawing me out of my lethargy . And so we set out towards Halebeedu, on a rain swept Saturday afternoon, based on weatherman and driver, Chinna’s prediction that it might not be raining there.

The rains tumble down as we continue on our journey,  past Belur and onwards to Halebeedu .In my bucketlist are three  temples – Veerabhadra, Kumbaleshwara and Buccaneswara. I have no idea where to begin. I call up friend and Hoysala enthusiast Arun , who asks me to look for a lake, Bidarikere . The Veerabhadra temple he says  is located south east  to the lake . “Now where do we go and look for a compass  here ?” retorts Aarti. Chinna gives me a blank look.  I decide to go with my instinct and ask the locals.

Guides and vendors surround us the moment we land in Halebeedu. Chinna is right. It is not raining here. I start with my first clue and ask them the direction to Bidarikere. An old vendor strokes his beard and gives Chinna the route . We are told it is just a couple of minutes away on the outskirts of Halebeedu .

 We reach the lake where we find a  group of cowherds , grazing their cattle and ask them the way to Veerabhadra temple. “There is only  a Yoga Narasimha temple, old one, but small, Hoysala, yes yes..” They show us the way. Standing at the edge of the road, in the midst of corn ,sunflower, potato and cabbage fields is a small  temple. For miles around, there is not a single soul. The fields just stretch out into to the horizons. This is India’s countryside at its best.

We disturb a brahminy starling as we walk  around the shrine. It is a well maintained  ekakuta which has just one tower .  An idol of Vishnu  with his consort is located outside , mounted on a garuda . This is serendipity, I thought.  We come looking for a Veerabhadra temple and we see a beautiful shrine, far away from the tourist circuit.

Chinna meanwhile is bitten by the discovery bug . There is another temple inside he says after some conversation with some locals in the nearby fields. We  drive into a mud road . We face a wall of a temple, but there is nothing “ Hoysala “ about its structure .  An  inscription leans against it, while another sculpture is on the ground. We see a group of people , sitting there drinking milk  from a big can, while some of them crowd around us . “Why do you want to know about this temple ? “ they ask , amused. “It used to be a Hoysala , now it’s a Basava temple , “ But for all practical purposes, it also serves as a milk booth for the villagers.

We return to Halebeedu , still wondering about my bucketlist, when Chinna drives  past the Kedareshwara temple and  offers  a local a lift .  His face lights up when I mention a Veerabhadra temple “ It is right at the entrance of Halebeedu on the way from Belur. Just enter an arch and go straight .”We follow his directions and  find  a Devi temple  . We speak to many locals.  “That’s an old temple..Why do you want to go there ?” We cross the Devi temple and see another temple in ruins , bound by a fence. “That’s a Hanuman temple. Go a little more further. “ 

It is twilight  and the lights come up in some isolated houses. We start walking . The temples still elude us. And then Chinna points to a  twin temple – one which looks  like it is freshly painted and another in Hoysala style, in complete ruins. “ This is the Veerabhadra – the old and the new..you want to see three more temples – follow us. “ We turn around and meet our guides - two kids, who are siblings . They take us through a detour  where we see an entire settlement within Halebeedu. Houses, temples, cows, dogs, bikes, cycles, shops are all scattered around in the narrow lanes.

 The siblings take us to the Kumbaleshwara temple right in the middle of the village. The sculptures are mismatched, but the Hoysala friezes are typical. The next stop is another Shiva temple  . Some women are sitting in front of a small shrine, while we walk into the adjoining old temple, only to stop dead in our tracks. Next to a Hoysala pillar, stands a cow , not happy with the intrusion. Another two are tied to the pillar .We shifted the diety,” said one of the women.” Now this is a cowshed..we needed a place for cows-after all, who will repair this temple.” The roof has  indeed caved.

 Our last stop for the evening  is the Ranganatha temple. “ But where is the Buccaneswara temple ?” I ask the siblings. They look puzzled, but Aarti draws my attention to the small board in front of the Ranganatha temple. It said that it was an amalgamation of various sculptures found from different sites and it was earlier called the Buccaneshwara temple . Aarti and I walk into the temple and sit on the steps for a while as the siblings beam at us . We pass some moments in silence and then Aarti sums up the trip ,” Nothing like exploring and discovering hidden places..it is the best holiday Ive ever had,” I smile, a sense of déjà vu has just crept in. The siblinds wave back to us as we leave Halebeedu.

The story was published today in Deccan Herald, Spectrum . 

Hulikere

More than 1000 years ago, sometime in the middle of 10^th century, a dynasty was born in the Malenadu or the hilly regions of modern day Karnataka. They were called the Hoysalas. They were not born kings, but were tribal chiefs who rebelled against the Chalukyas and went on to establish their own kingdom. Their capitals were initially Velapuri and then it moved on to Dwarasamudra. Today, we know the two towns as Belur and Halebeedu

I was in the ancient town of Dwarasamudra, looking for the remains of this dynasty . There were ruins, of old temples, Jain bastis and even the remnants of an old fort and a palace. The Pushpagiri hill looked down upon us hidden by a cluster of small village homes. A gentle breeze took us down a small lane covered by a canopy of trees. As we walked down,  we stumbled upon an ancient kalyani or step well. A bunch of kids played on the steps and looked at us with a tinge of curiosity. The village was called Hulikere.

“ Huli means tiger and kere refers to a pond,” explains the watchman there.” This is Queen Shantala Devi ‘s private pond,” he adds with a tinge of flourish. “You know, the security was so steep that even a tiger could not walk in to see her- that’s why its called Hulikere.” I took in the irony of security guards protecting the queen and her maids from tigers while bathing and pottered around. Small shrines adorned the steps of the well, while the fluffy clouds reflected in the waters . Frogs hopped around with the fish swimming blissfully in this heritage pond.

The Hoysalas are remembered today for their temples around  Malenadu . Historical records say 1521 temples across 958 centres were built  while today 434 temples survive across 238 centres . Most of the temples here are either in ruins or are in an obscure village waiting to be discovered.

An ASI document refers to a Bhuvanabhurana Catteshwara temple built at Hulikere by Cattaya, a subordinate of King Narasimha , one of the Hoysala rulers. Another document narrates this story . When he was going to Belur from Halebeedu , his carriage driver , Bittideva noticed a desolate temple and asked the king to give grants and renovate it.The king gave away dry and wet lands, a tank, oil mills for supply of oil to burn lamps and established a Saivite settlement with two rows of houses . Bittideva also received grants and built the Maideshwara temple and Bittideshwara temple in the vicinity. The area is today identified around Hulikere and Pushpagiri at the periphery of the Dwarasamudra.

A shrill cry of parakeets interrupted our reverie. The children had got over their shyness and were all willing to pose for pictures in return for chocolates . We shut our book and watched the colours of the sky change . The sun may have set on the Hoysala dynasty a 1000 years ago, but they made sure they left their mark behind.

This was published in my column, Inside Story in the Metro Plus. I would also request you to join me on Facebook, where I share my travel stories, photographs and some published writing, some of which are not yet on backpacker. Please click the link here to be part of the journey and to share your stories as we go by 

Angadi - the birthplace of the Hoysalas

“Hoy Sala " ( Strike Sala ! ) said the guru Sudatta Muni to his student , Sala who was in an armed combat with a tiger . The beast had just attached the duo who were immersed in rituals at a Durga or Vasantha Parameshwari temple in a village called Sasakapura or Sosevur. The student struck the animal in one blow, immortalizing himself and his victim . The guru was so pleased that he asked Sala to establish a kingdom and the Hoysala dynasty was established with Sosevur as the capital .
The story is believed to have happenned more than 1000 years ago. at Sasakapura or Sosevur which is today identified as Angadi, a small hamlet in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka The temple of the Goddess , along with the ruins of more temples and basadis is the only proof of this myth .The folklore however became so popular that every temple of the Hoysalas has this story carved in stone and it became the royal emblem of the dynasty.

We were in Malenadu or the hilly regions of Karnataka when we heard this story. This was not a pleasure trip, but a journey that took us down eons of history , a quest in search of folklores and myths that gave an identity to the Hoysala Dynasty .We were looking for a humble beginning of this dynasty which had ruled this region for over 400 years.

Our destination was Angadi, a small hamlet lost in the hills of Karnataka, enveloped by coffee plantations and lush green fields. Nestled in the Western Ghats, in South India in the heart of coffee country, this nondescript village was once the birthplace of a powerful dynasty which ruled South India thousands of years ago.
The meandering roads snaked around a green fabric of coffee plantations and dense forests. The leaves of the pepper crops curled around the silver oak trees. It had rained a bit but the afternoon sun was now shining in all its glory. The snowy white blossoms of the coffee plants glistened even further . The dusty hamlets interrupted this green mosaic as they emerged one after another . It was late afternoon and the roads were empty .

We stopped by at a small town, Janapura to have some tea and take in the fresh air.The directions were loud and clear. Angadi was a further seven kms away. In about ten minutes we were there. A small village with a few houses scattered here and there , a couple of shops, a lone bus stand and green fields. At first glance, it looked like just another hamlet lost to the world. And yet, it was the cradle of a dynasty that built beautiful temples and made several conquests . However to our eyes, there was nothing historic about it. And then we took a short stroll, wondering if we had indeed come to the right village. To prove us right, stood a faded old relic under the shade of a tree ..a Hoysala inscription . We were indeed on the right track.


Angadi in Kannada means shop, but we hardly found any shops around . Surrounded by coffee plantations and open fields, it seemed to be a sleepy market . We finally found a small shop and asked them the route to the “ Devasthanam “ meaning temple in the local lingo. A couple of hands pointed uphill which took us through a coffee plantation which led to mud roads which split into two. There was not a soul around. We followed the road going upward and encountered steep hairpin bends which curved through the coffee plantations and led us to the Durga or the Vasantha Parameshwari temple . And this was the setting of the origins of the Dynasty

The origin of Hoysalas
The Hoysalas were not born kings but they ruled for 300 years . They were natives of Malnad, Karnataka and were tribal chiefs who were subordinates of the Western Chalukyas. Some inscriptions show them as lords of the Male (hills) while some indicate that they were descendants of the Yadava clan. Historically though the first Hoysala family record is dated 950 and names Arekalla as the chieftain, followed by Maruga and Nripa Kama I (976) .


But the kings who shaped the dynasties were Vishnuvardhan and Veera Bhallalla who became independent from the Chalukyas .Vishnuvardhan established his supremacy by defeating the Cholas in Talakadu . Historians claim that the story behind the Hoysala crest is a symbolic interpretation of this victory as the tiger , a symbol of the Cholas is shown subdued by a soldier.

But today the Hoysalas are remembered for their patronage to arts along with their exploits on the battlefield – a baffling 1500 temples built in 958 centres, of which the two famous ones are Belur and Halebid which were the capital cities of the dynasty. However, hardly a 100 survive today. Our trail had taken us down to 25 villages including Angadi , the original capital of the empire, where it all began.

The Durga temple was renovated and was well maintained . It did not look like a typical Hoysala temple either , going by their style . A tall structure supported by pillars with sculptures stood close by. The priest explained to us that the temple, which has been renovated recently was the original temple where Sala had killed the legendary tiger.

The pillars he said were used as a swing to cradle the Gods during festivals. I had read that there was the ruins of a Chennakesava temple here similar to the Belur temple . We asked him where the ruins were and he told us to follow the roads that went below. We were told that there were three temples as well as basadis

The ruins of Angadi
The priest guided us and we followed the road below until we came to almost a deadend. There seemed to be a rugged path above as we climbed on the rocks that led us inside the coffee plantation. We saw a few basadis with some sculptures inside while a few were left wide in the open. It was silent except for some parakeets which were shrieking in excitement. We almost thought the place was to ourselves when we heard some voices .

We squinted through the trees and found some workers. We went down and climbed another path where the ruins of the three temples awaited us . The Chennakesava temple , along with Patalarudreshwara and Mallikarjuna lay absolutely in ruins..The structures were being laid by the ASI workers who had just begun restoring these temples. The idols and sculptures were kept safely, especially the Chennakesava which stood in all its glory in the glare of the setting sun. As the sun touched down, we sat a while on the broken pillars gazing at the strewn idols and wondering about the times when a dynasty was laying its foundation stone in a small village. It dawned on us at that very moment, that we had just walked into a historic moment.

Getting there - Angadi is 18 kms from Mudigere and 25 kms away from Belur and 260 kms from Bangalore The ideal route from Bangalore would be to reach Belur and take the Mudigere route . At Janapura, one needs to take a left and Angadi is 6 kms from the junction. You can also reach Angadi through Sakleshpur and Chikmagalur . Accomodation in the form of home stays and resorts is available at Hanbal, which is the closest town as well as Sakleshpur, Chikmagalur and Mudigere.

A shorter version of this story , focussed on the myth was first published in my column, Inside Story and then much later in Spectrum, Deccan Herald.

Monsoon edition of the Hoysala trail

The Monsoon edition of the Hoysala trail is on again..soak in the rains as we journey down the eons of history..Feel the lure of the monsoons and add a dose of history along with us as we go on a journey back to the eons of the time. Visit monuments off the tourist circuit, hidden temples, a step well in the middle of nowhere and the ancient capital of the Hoysalas, Dwarasamudra. A dash of coffee to go with the tour as we go on a plantation tour and indulge in a bit of birding as well..


Places Covered
The temple with four shrines at Doddagaddavalli
Belur
Halebeedu
Ancient town of Dwarasamudra spread around Halebeedu
Hulikere Tank – A charming kalyani
Belavadi Temple
A walk in 300-acre coffee estate


You could contact me or Arun though our blogs and let us know if you would like to join us on the tour. Log on to travelwise for more details .

Join us on the Hoysala trail

Arun and I have been planning for ages to get into the travel space. And we finally did over coffee one afternoon when we realized that we both had the same interest. Both of us were fascinated by the Hoysalas and the Malenadu region and after days of pouring over history books and a century old ASI documents we launched our first tour - The Lesser Known Hoysala temples. We also added a coffee trail and a birding trip to the heritage tour and lo, we became tour guides as well.


We had a trial run last month with friends who gave us a lot of motivation and now we are back again. This time, we would like to invite you to join us. The trip would cover temples off the tourist track, go to the ancient town of Dwarasamudra and its ruins, the temple called Velapuri also called Belur on the banks of the River Yagachi. We promise that it will not be a history class, but will present you with some colourful details of the lives of the kings and queens as well..:)

We look forward to having you with us.Do join us and you can mail me at lakshmi.sharath@gmail.com or arun at arunchs@yahoo.com for any information. The details are in the brochure.(Pls click on it to see it in full)

On the road again

I am travelling again and this time I am exploring a new destination in India. They say this district has forts, beaches, forests , mango orchards, old temples and also promotes rustic tourism.Whats more , its very close to a destination which is almost everybody's favorite..any guesses ?

While you are at it, this is one of my favourite pictures from the Hoysala trip . A Kalyani called Hulekere which is in Dwarasamudra, the capital of the Hoysala Dynasty , what we today call Halebeedu. Most of us know of one temple in Halebeedu, but in our weekend tour, Arun and I took the group to almost 8 of them including ruins.

The Malenadu skies

I donned a new role last weekend - From a travel writer to a tour guide . Arun and I are planning to launch weekend tours and we did a trial run last weekend . We took a group of friends to the ruins of an ertswhile dynasty called the Hoysala Dynasty which ruled the Malenadu region of Karnataka. Malenadu means Land of the hills and the kings were called Male chiefs or lords of the hills. This dynasty which ruled for over 400 years during the 10th-14th century was known for the temples they built, a staggering 1500 of which hardly 100 remains. Our trip was to some of the lesser known temples which are not in the tourist circuit . We were standing at the portals of one of the temples when the evening sky changed colours as the moon emerged






Watch this blog for more on our trip to the Hoysala Dynasty .

For more wonderful skies around the world, click here

India through my eyes - Work is worship

At the entrance of an ancient Hoysala temple , Adagur near Hassan. No one has probably entered the temple portals for days while it stood in the wilderness , but work must go on. The coconuts were on their way to the Hassan market.


Im going to be travelling tomorrow for an event.You could look me up at Cerebrate.I will see you all next week.