Five places to visit in Naanjil Naadu

 
Ringed in by oceans and mountains , my journey took me to the erstwhile land called Naanjil Naadu that has been sung about from the days of Sangam era. Today, the region is identified as a part of Kanyakumari and Nagercoil districts, where God’s own country, Kerala first had its origins. Scattered with temples, forts, rock cut caves, palaces with paintings, inscriptions and carvings – there are monuments left behind by these rulers as souvenirs of their reign.



The INTACH tour organised by Tamil Nadu chapter took us to towns and villages, to deserted lakes and forts, to the banks of small rivulets, up a hillock, into dense forests to look for the remnants of the many dynasties that ruled Naanjil Naadu .The Ay rulers from Sangam era reigned here till the 9th century . Early Pandyas had built monuments that led us towards Tirunelveli. The Cholas had left their stamp here ,and the Venad rulers who were the founders of modern day Travancore state ruled from Padmanabhapuram palace here. However everything is not just about heritage. Steeped in cults, we learnt about both facts and folklore, while I got lost in the landscape painted in front of me - natural, social, political, historical, spiritual. While we visited several obscure and nondescript towns and deciphered several inscriptions with the help of our expert guide, Dr V Vedachalam, retired senior epigraphist from Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department, these are the five places in Naanjil Naadu that I would like to visit again.


1. Chithraal

Angels and celestial beings apparently hovered around this hillock and hence it is referred to as Thirucharanattumalai . I would believe this as this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The scene is virtually breathtaking. The sky is clear, the floating clouds touch the distant peaks of mountains, the greenery is refreshing and the breeze comes calling. An abode of Jaina monks, Dr Vedachalam explains to us that “charanathar “according to Jainism refers to those celestial beings who fly in the skies and are seen in places of worship or living spaces which could be mounds or mountains too.



The rocks are carved with bass relief sculptures depicting Thirthankaras and yakshis that date to the 9^th-10^th centuries. There is the serene Mahaveera, the snake hooded Parshvanatha along with Neminatha, the yakshis - Padmavathy and Ambika, also known as Dharmadevi looking out into the open. Right atop the cave is a small structural temple dedicated to Bhagavathy deity. Sitting beside the rock, I look out for angels as hillocks surround us in the distant horizon with pools of water reflecting the colours of nature.

2.Thirunandikarai

Deep inside a dense rubber plantation, a stream flows besides an ancient Shiva temple . There is not a soul in sight. If you squint through the woods, a path takes you down to a rock cut cave temple with empty cells. The temples are located in Thirunandikarai, which gets its name from the stream, erstwhile a river called Nandiaaru.

While the Shiva temple built in the 10^th century resembled the architecture style of Kerala monuments, the rock cut cave temple was probably built around the 7^th century was probably a Jaina monument. As the birds sing to the dawn, we walk up to the cave temple and see traces of early paintings on the walls. Inscriptions here refer to Vikramaditya Varaguna of the Ay dynasty and even to Raja Raja Chola, who had celebrated his birthday here. The lush greenery, the birds, the sun streaming through the woods, the silence – Thirunandikarai takes you to a different world, one of peace and beauty.

3.Padmanabhapuram palace

The origins of the present day Kerala begins here as this was where the Travancore state was born. Built in the 1600 by the ruler, Iravi Varma, the palace is located inside a fortress with the backdrop of the Western Ghats around it. The moment you step inside the palace, you enter a world as old as 400 years old. Even the 300 year old clock tower shows you the time. Made of jackfruit wood and a combination of granite, coconut shells, egg white , the palace takes you into the King’s Council Chambers, the Mother’s Palace, the Performance Hall among several other chambers. Pillars made of jackfruit wood, galleries of paintings, brass lamps and wooden sculptures, a wooden cot with more than 60 pieces of tree trunks all give it an unique Kerala stamp. It is believed that the ruler Marthanda Varma dedicated his kingdom to his family deity Padmanabha and Padmanabhapuram lost its significance when the capital was eventually shifted from here to Trivandrum in the 18^th century .


 

4.Vattakottai

This is my all time favourite . I am standing at Vattakottai, a circular sea port and am encircled by the sea with the mountains at the backdrop. Built in the 18^th century by the Travancore kings, the fort was apparently constructed by a Dutch Naval officer De Lannoy who was initially with the Dutch East India Company but eventually became the commander of the Travancore army. The symbols of two elephants and a conch shell stand silently in this picturesque fort which hardly looks like imposing. And as many fort lores say, a tunnel was apparently built here too, but it is now closed. But as you gaze at the blue waters with the low hanging clouds and the waves retreating from the shores, one cannot imagine this was once a battlefield.


5.Parthivapuram

An idyllic little village with an idyllic little temple, Parthivapuram or Parthivasekarapuram seems like just another Indian hamlet, but for the fact that it goes back to the 9^th century . One of the oldest places we visited, the Vishnu temple in Parthivapuram was built by one of the oldest dynasties who have ruled right from the Sangam era – the Ay Dynasty . King Karunandadakkan . Dr Vedachalam gives us a very interesting insight into this village. A copper plate found here informed us that there was once a vedic school here in the 9^th century. The Ay rulers had clearly mentioned details regarding the education system, the basis of selection, discipline related issues and even a code of conduct for the students. As we sit in the portals of the temple, listening to stories, we are literally transported to a different era.

This was published in Yahoo recently .  You can read more stories on Naanjil Naadu here. A story on Thirunandikarai was published in my column, Inside Story in The Hindu Metro Plus

A tour of Naanjil Naadu

There is a certain fascination, a sense of a timeless journey, an anticipation of a discovery when you look at a map. Pouring over the colourful piece of paper that marked countless villages and towns, I stood there ,imagining the contours of the map changing while we took a journey down history. We were looking at a map of the present day Nagercoil and Kanyakumari districts in Tamil Nadu, but the stories took us to the times when parts of the region was referred to as Naanjil Naadu.

Ruled by various rulers from the Sangam Age to Travancore kings , with a bit of influence from the Cholas, to early Pandyas, this region had the reign of the Ay rulers, the Venad kings and had also seen battles fought between the Cheras and the Pandyas. Ringed in by oceans and mountains, the locale is scattered with  temples, forts, rock cut caves, palaces with paintings, inscriptions and carvings - monuments left behind by these rulers as souvenirs of their reign. God’s own country found its origins here, long before , Kerala the state was formed. Steeped in cults, we learnt about both facts and folklore, while I got lost in the landscape painted in front of me - natural, social, political, historical, spiritual.

We travelled to towns and villages, to deserted lakes and lush fields, to the banks of small rivulets, up a hillock, into dense forests to look for the remnants of the many dynasties that ruled Naanjil Naadu.The Ay rulers who had reigned for a long period from Sangam era to even 9th century had  left their stamp here. Temples such as Parthivasekarpuram are testimony of their workmanship. Early Pandyas had built monuments that led us towards Tirunelveli. The Venad rulers who were the founders of modern day Travancore state ruled from Padmanabhapuram palace here.

Our guide and expert, Dr V Vedachalam, Retired Senior Epigraphist from Tamil Nadu State Archaelogy Department told us that one of the earliest references to Naanjil Naadu dated back to a song sung by the legendary poetess Avvayar in the Sangam era . The song was in praise of the generosity of a Naanjil Valluvan, a tale of how the Vallavan had sent an elephant loaded with sacks of rice to people who had asked him for a small quantity of rice.

The landscape of the present merged with the past as we heard snippets of legends and history woven together . We stopped by the monuments to step into the milieu of the those times. One of our earliest stops was to Suseendram, where the temple was amidst a flurry of festivities.Dedicated to the trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, the shrine was also thronged by devotees who worshipped Hanuman, an 18 feet tall diety. Dr Vedachalam however took us around the temple to show us some nondescript rocks tucked away behind the shrine. As we crowded around him, we saw various inscriptions  that dated back to the Chola and Pandya periods. We then climbed up the dingy dark tiers of the Gopuram, disturbing the bats residing there to see some of the most colourful paintings lost in the darkness here. Deities and mortals found expression in rich tapestry of colours as the walls were painted by the artists of a bygone era, only to be vandalised by locals.

Naanjil Naadu tour for me was not just about a dynasty or a religion. The influences were varied, as Dr Vedachalam explained that most of the monuments had altered as beliefs and cults changed over the passage of time.   We were at the Nagaraja temple at Nagercoil when we learnt of the cults relating to Jaina yakshis and snake worship and how they had been woven together and transformed over a period of time.  Jainism had been prevalent here in ancient periods and several Jaina sites tucked away in hillocks  took us back to the era.

As we climb a small hillock called Chitharal near Kanyakumari,  Dr Vedachalam explained to us that the site was known as  Thirucharanattumalai in the ancient times. “Jains believe that this is the abode of the monks who had lived in the natural caves here. In fact “charanathar “according to Jainism refers to those celestial beings who fly in the skies and are seen in places of worship which could be mounds or mountains, sometimes inside towns and living spaces too,” he said.

Atop the hillock, the rocks were carved with bass relief sculptures depicting Thirthankaras and yakshis. There was the serene Mahaveera, the snake hooded Parshvanatha along with Neminatha, the yakshis - Padmavathy and Ambika, also known as Dharmadevi looking out into the open. Hillocks surrounded us in the distant horizon as we saw pools of water reflecting the colours of nature.

Dr Vedachalam said that the sculptures dated back to the 9th-10th centuries as inscriptions referred to the patronage of the AY dynasty ruler, Vikramaditya Varaguna who reigned around the period. More inscriptions written in “Vattaezhuthu “ (one of the oldest Tamil scripts) referred to monks and nuns who had lived here .

Right atop the cave was a small structural temple dedicated to Bhagavathy. Dr Vedachalam said that it was earlier a Jaina temple as the yakshi cult gave way to the Bhagavathy cult over the passage of time. A later 19th century inscription in Malayalam belonging to the Travancore king Moolam Thirunal Maharaja referred to the shrine here.

Our journey took us into fields and plantations. We were inside a dense rubber plantation, watered by a small stream called Nandiaaru . Watching the morning sun streaming through the trees and listening to the call of the birds, we were in the village of Thirunandikarai, which literally translated to the banks of the River Nandi, bordering Kerala. We stumbled upon a Shiva temple that resembled most monuments built in the architecture typical of the state. The sanctum was circular in this 10th century shrine , which had a few inscriptions that dated to the period.

However, nestled behind the temple, a path led us through the dense plantations to a rock cut cave temple, probably a Jaina monument that dated to 7th century or even older. The frescos painted on the walls of the caves had completely faded ,though some of the outlines still existed, leaving us to guess the images.  An inscription mentioned that an 8th century monk called Veeranandi had stayed here and spread Jainism in the region.

Dr Vedachalam told us that an 11th century inscription relating to Raja Raja Chola was found here and it indicated that the monarch had celebrated his birthday here and had defeated Muttom . Inscriptions relating to Vikramaditya Varaguna of the AY dynasty were found here as well.

Our journey took us to more temples such as Tiruvattaru, more rock cut caves as in Rettai Pothal, palaces like Padmanabhapuram, forts like Vattakottai , reservoirs like Veeranarayanam and finally we ended up inside the jungles  of Western Ghats to visit Nambiyaaru , a temple located uphill close to Thirukkurangudi shrine. We had travelled across the districts - Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and even to villages close to Kerala border. We climbed hillocks, went on the sea shore,  crossed rivers, drove though the mountains and forests to revisit the Naanjil Naadu of those days. We had probably travelled back to the Sangam era in just three days as we travelled down the historic and spiritual route.

This story was published in Sunday Herald recently. Coming up soon is Five places that you must visit in Naanjil Naadu, an article published in Yahoo. For more Naanjil Naadu posts on backpacker, read here.

Anegundi - relics from the past

A couple of langurs greet us as I listen to my guide Virupaksha gush about his hometown. “ Anegundi is older than Hampi – in fact this is the mother kingdom .” Indeed, Anegundi  is ancient,with cave paintings of prehistoric man, it is the mythical Kishkinta of Ramayana , it is holy as the Pampa Sarovar flows here and it is historic with ruins of forts, palaces , temples and gateways hidden around  the boulders. But the most important aspect of Anegundi is that it is a lively settlement, with a charming village that opens its doors to most tourists who visit Hampi

A fisherman and his wife are busy making nets  near the Tallarighata gate, as we sip tea in a small shack, talking to some old women who are lost in the passage of time. “You will find another gate in Hampi as well, “ says Virupaksha  and explains that these gates were used to collect tolls or taxes during the Vijaynagar dynasty from people entering from other kingdoms.

An auto driver decides to take us on a whirlwind tour of Anegundi . We see the village,  palace , the main entry gates and then climb up the old Durga fort listening to more stories . “ The Vijaynagar kings used to come here and pray before every battle, “says Virupaksha , and then they go to the holy Pampa sarovar lake and the lakshmi temple there. “  We climb further to see  an ancient entrance to the fort, ruins of a palace and tombs .

But Anegundi is ageless  -  be it the settlements of prehistoric man or the myths around the Ramayana, there is a mysticism around it. “ Kishkinta means a bush, a forest where monkeys lived, “ explains Virupaksha, telling me about the Hanuman temple atop the Anjanadri Hill where tourists climb more than 400 steps to reach there.

As we lose ourselves in the green fields below bordered by the boulders, Virupaksha warns us that the last coracle would leave for Hampi soon. A few minutes later, sitting precariously on the rim of the coracle , carrying  two bikes and a dozen people , I cross the river Tungabhadra .  My thoughts get carried away to a passage in Robert Sewell's book , " A Forgotten Empire , which narrates the observations of a 16^th century Portuguese traveler , Dominoes Paes who had visited the empire.

 He mentions that the coracle was used even then to carry ““ fifteen to twenty persons and even horses and oxen can cross in them if necessary . “Paes adds ,” People cross to this place by boats which are like baskets, inside they are made of cane and outside of leather…and the boats are always turning round, as they cannot go straight like others; in all the kingdoms where there are streams there are no other boats than these.”   It is interesting, I thought as we reached Hampi that a relic like the coracle lives along with the monuments from the Vijaynagar days.

This story was published today in Metro Plus in my column, The Inside Story 

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. 

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 . 

Welcome to Pallava cave hunting

A small rusty board brings our car to a sudden halt. Surrounding us are lush paddy fields set against massive boulders . A lone woman is working on her crop, as we cut through the thorny bushes and walk across the fields. Following the path, we meet a huge hill loaded with boulders , standing precariously, one on top of each other. The hill seems to open out to us, as we walk through the narrow opening to reach our destination- the cave temple at Mandagapattu carved out of a 100 feet hillock.

“Welcome to Pallava cave hunting. You will probably find it addictive , “ says Vijay Kumar, who had initiated me earlier into the world of  Pallava and Chola temples through his website poetryinstone .  At Mandagapattu, I realize that I am already lost in the world of stone. A flight of steps leads us to the cave temple, carved  for the trinity, flanked by the door guardians or the dwarapalakas. The shrines are empty . “This is the first prototype of the Pallava rock cut cave temple, built by Mahendravarman 1 in the 7^th century, “ says Vijay .

 To me , Pallava architecture has always been synonymous with Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram or Kadal Mallai , as it was originally called . Built by Narasimha varman or Mamalla, the rock cut cave temples here , I am told ,owe their inspiration to the early Mahendravarman  caves shrines ,which are  strewn around Ginjee, Tindivanam, Kanchipuram, Arakonam , Chengelpet among other districts . “ The early pallava style has bulky pillars, not too many embellishments either in the form of relief sculptures, even the door guardians are not too bold in their depiction, but later on you will find the architecture being more evolved as they move towards building structural temples, “ explains Vijay.

Our companion Arvind shows us the Sanskrit inscription. Here , Mahendraman declares that he is not building the temple from any perishable material – brick, wood, metal  and limestone or stucco.  “ That is why he is titled as Vichitrachitha, an innovator in many ways,” he explains. The temple in the inscription is referred to as Lakshita Yathaanam .

“Mahendravarman showed leanings towards Jainism initially and then he moved towards Hinduism- which is probably why one would find jain settlements near his cave temples” adds Vijay. We are at Thalavanur, closer to Mandagapattu where the temple, Shatrumalleswaram is carved at the edge of another hillock, overlooking boulders. 

 The temple houses door guardians flanking a linga.  “Note the advancement in art here, “ mentions Vijay ,” as we take in the makartoranas in the front façade .” A small flight of rock cut steps carved on the hill takes us to the shelters of Jain monks who probably meditated here and used this as their beds.

An old man walks up to us from across the fields and proclaims he is the caretaker.  A stray dog follows him, his howls echoing through the hills, as we retrace our steps .

The story was published in Inside Story, my column in the Metro Plus, The Hindu. A detailed travelogue will soon be published in Windows and Aisles, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airlines

Seeyamangalam-cave temples of the Pallavas

When we think of  Pallava art and architecture, the rock cut caves and the shore temple at  Mahabalipuram comes to our mind. However there are quite a few cave temples built by Mahendravarman 1 in early 7th century which were the inspiration for his descendants to build the monuments at Malai or Mahabalipuram as its now called.

One such place is Seeyamangalam, which is about 80 kms from Madras (Chennai). Dedicated to Stambeshwarar, a form of Shiva, the temple has been further extended by the Chola and the Vijaynagar kings who have built the Gopurams and the Mandapams, besides the Murugan temple atop a rock with small steps carved on the stone.

A simple shrine with pillars and pilasters , the temple was called h“ Avanibhajana Pallaveshwaram, Avani, being a title of Mahendravarman 1.

The temple has one of the earliest interpretations of the Ananda Thandava posture of Shiva that we know as Nataraja carved  in one of the pilasters, while the other has a low bass relief of Rishabhantara.  We were anyways not allowed to take pictures of the deities inside the cave,  but were allowed to take a few of the sculptures on the pillars and pilasters - so am sharing the Nataraja or the Ananda Thandava here .

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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)

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 .

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