Skywatch - River Bhadra and her moods

For more beautiful skies around the world, visit Skywatch

Where would you like to go this Monday ?

Another Monday, another day at work and it is not easy to shrug the weekend off..So while you get on with work, indulge in a bit of day dreaming ? Where would you like to be this Monday ? I would like to be on the banks of the River Bhadra in the River tern Lodge , just now

I'm just a bird in the sky ..

And no one can take my freedom away..so sing the river terns over the Bhadra backwaters in Lakkavalli where they come to breed every year

Here are a pair of cormorants singing the same song as they return home. To see more fascinating skies across the world, click here

Bridges and Rivers

I had not planned to travel in March - in fact I didnt have any destinations or holidays in mind . However, a couple of pilgrimages and family trips took me to into some of India's beautiful places. And I crossed several rivers .They were dry , but the sheer beauty of seeing water in a dry landscape is an amazing experience .

There is the River Tunga in Sringeri in Chikmagalur with such amazing fish which are both protected and revered..




There was the River Bhadra in Chikmagalur near the Kandya temple and at Kudre Habbi with some amazing rock formations caused by the force of the water


The two rivers join to form Tungabhadra. We crossed the river at Mantralaya , but there was hardly any water there.We moved on and the River Krishna stopped us , but we couldnt stop by at the bridge to take a picture. However, we were able to take quite a few of its tributary River Bheema in Yaadgiri.



To view different parts of the world please click here

Kandya temple

If the river Tunga flows peacefully, can the river Bhadra be far behind ..A couple of hours from Sringeri is Chikmagalur and as one climbs the western ghats across the hairpin bends, dense forests and coffee plantations , you come across an ancient temple called the Kandya temple, where the Bhadra flows quietly behind..The two rivers join to form the Tunga Bhadra which flows down the ruins of Vijayanagar empire in Hampi.


I had been to this temple as a child when we had visited Sringeri and I remember seeing the rivers Tunga and Bhadra for the first time.This is my second visit to this temple.I was must admit that I have not done any research on this temple.The story of Markandeya who defies death and the Lord of death, Yama by praying to Lord Shiva is immortalised here , hence the name Kandya temple.

The story goes that Markandeya's parents had prayed to Lord Shiva for a son. Lord Shiva gave them an option - either an intelligent compassionate son who will die at 16 years or a stupid indifferent son who will live a long life . The parents opted for the former and when Markandeya became 16 years old, Yama with his noose landed to claim his life. Markandeya requested a few minutes to pray to Shiva, but death waits for none. As Yama flung the noose over Markandeya's neck, the boy clung on to the Linga praying to the Lord. As the noose tightened, it is said that Lord Shiva emerged out of the Linga and gave Markandeya his life back saying that he will live and forever be 16 years of age..


It is said to be a very ancient temple and not much literature is available here. The temple was under renovation when we went there..and yet, not a soul around. I do not know which dynasty built this temple, but note the image of the fish on the wall. It probably indicates the direction to find the the river which is the only witness to the history of this temple. Calm and placid, it flows as history and mythology weave a tale..