World of Books and Travel

Today we went early morning to Sri Nagareshwara Temple at Begur. We had reached there by 7.20 a.m. By then there was already a a long queue. Still it was nice to wait and have a darshan of Lord Shiva on this important day of Shivaratri. The gopuram constructions are still going on. We left there by 8.40 a.m.

There are several interesting places to see in summar in southern part of India. Shivasamudram Badami Caves Badami Caves with Agusthyamuni lake Mahakoota Temple Pond Bidar Fort

Chottanikkara Bhagavathi Temple is one of the most famous temples of Kerala. Located in Chottanikkara, 17 kms from Ernakulam, and 8 km away from Tripunithura, in a hilly region surrounded on all sides by undulating beauty, with rich greenery, Sri Bhagavati  provides a deep spritiual solace to the large number of devotees who throng here every day. A visit to the temple brings relief to them from the overburdening anguish and agonies they face in their life and return with a peaceful mind.  The 'Devi' in the temple is known for the healing powers, particularly relating to mental illness and disorders. In the main temple, the golden hued idol of Bhagavathy 4 to 5 ft. high, with four hands, is bedecked with flowers,  garlands, jewels and bathed in myriad of lights splendidly.  The Divine Mother known as Rajaraj...

I always prefer to visit the temples in the morning. Someshwara Temple in Ulsoor, Bangalore is one of the temples I visit as and when possible. It is not close to my house, but still I like to visit this ancient temple whenever possible. I had already planned something else for the day, but when my daughter wanted to visit this temple, I kept away all my other engagements and decided to accompany her. Someshwara Temple was built in Chola dynasty and is a splendid architecture of southern India. As you enter inside you can see the flower vendors ready with various types of flowers and bhelva leaves, (Lord Shiva's favorite), and Basil leaves. After purchasing the pooja flowers and leaving your footsteps outside in the footstep stand for a token, you can enter inside through the huge rajagopuram. Just before we reached there, a wedding ceremony was conducted in the temple, and the scattered rice grains and the newly wedded couple pausing for photos were our evidence. The bride wa...

The big banyan tree in the temple compound. Kunnath Kavu, a temple in Mundakkottukurissi village in Shoranur, Palakkad Dist, Kerala. This is our "kudumba kshetram" (family temple). I clicked these shots during my recent visit to my native place, where we had our large family meet, to which people came from all parts of the country. Get more Palakkad Attractions here. Our family members are lighting the lamps. The temple pool. The main festival here is called Vela which takes place in March every year. It is a chariot festival. Chariots will be coming from the neighboring villages also during this festival. We shared our nostalgic memories of the festival, going around the temple. The entrance to the temple. Our family members are lighting the lamps around the temple, called Chuttu vilakku, after having a get together of our extended family.

It was a great day for me to have a darshan of Lord Krishna at Udupi, in Karnataka State. Udupi is just 60 kms away from Mangalore in the coastal region of Western Ghats. According to legends, Sri Madhvacharya, the great Sanskrit Philosopher and saint, installed the idol of Lord Krishna and sanctified the place in 13th century. The temple is built in Dravidian architecture. Learn more about Udupi Krishna temple here. After our darshan we decided to spend some time in the nearby beach - Malpe Beach. This beautiful beach is just 6 kms away.

Recently I had a visit to the famous Murudeshwara Temple of Karnataka. The huge idol of Lord Shiva and the tall rajagopura are amazing. Murudeshwara beach is another great tourist attraction there. This picturesque place is a marvelous tourist destination.

On Shivaratri Day, we wanted to visit another Shiva temple, and hence decided to visit the ancient Shiva temple at Begur, off Bomanhalli on the Hosur highway. We reached there very early in the morning, by then the devotees were just arriving in singles and groups. I was amazed to see the 1200 year old Shiva temple, built in granite, by the Cholas. (Raja Raja Chola). The temple is not tall, but spread across. I chose another day to go there leisurely to take some photos and get some details of the age old temple, from the people who knew about it. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Panchalingeswara. The main deity is Sri Parvati Sametha Nagaeshwara Swamy Linga. The temple complex enshrines Panchalingas i.e.Nageswara, Kaleswara, Nagareswara, Karneswara, and Choleswara. Sculptures depicting stories from the Panchatantra are carved all around the garbagriha wall. I was told that this place had got the name Bengaluru, much before the Bangalore city got its name. Nageshwara temple a...

We left Belur by 3.30 p.m.for our next destination Halebid, which is just 16 kms away from there. The weather was cool, the landscape was beautiful and the roads were excellent. The small town was the earlier capital of Hoysalas, and then it was called as Dwarasamudra. Hotel Athithi Temple Garden Hoysaleswara Temple Shiva Parvathi Another guide was there who took us around. He explained in detail about the history of Halebid Hoysaleswara temple and the amazing architecture of the temple. The images of Hindu Gods were carved beautifully in different moods and in different shapes on the walls. Even after 100 years of hard labour, the work was not complete. With the wonderful memories of the architectural beauty of the temples, we boarded our tourist bus for our return. On the way, we stopped for dinner at Hotel Athithi. A nice and clean hotel. We reached back in Bangalore by 10.45 p.m, with the satisfaction of worth a trip.

After visiting Shravanabelagola, our KSTDC tourist bus headed towards Belur, 90 kms away from there. Belur is well-known for its marvelous temples built during the rule of Hoysala dynasty. (Gopuram of the Temple) We reached Belur by 12.30 p.m. and had our lunch at Hotel Mayura Velapuri, a unit of KSTDC, Belur. Then we got back to our bus and after 5 minutes we were at the entrance of the famous Chennakeshava temple. Chennakesava means "handsome Kesava". Our tourist guide requested us to be together and follow him. He took us inside the temple through the gopuram and reached the main temple. He then explained to us about the history and the architecture of the magnificent temple. For a moment, we stood there mesmerizing the beauty of the temple architecture. It was so much more beautiful than I had read in many travelogues. (Chenna Keshava Temple) The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and daily worship still goes on there. This beautiful magnificent temple was commissioned by...

Last month, we decided to visit Shravanabelagola, a famous Jain pilgrim centre, in Karnataka, South India. It is situated 160 kms away from Bangalore. Early morning our tourist bus left Bangalore city and reached the first destination Shravanabelagola, a small town at Hassan District, after about 3 hours of travel. Sravanabelagola is famous for the huge statue of Bahubali, standingatop the Chandragiri hills. One can spot this spot from a distance because of this magnificent statue. It is believed that Bahubali, also called as Gomatheswara, quarreled over their inheritance with his elder brother and nearly killed him. Later on, he repented for his action and meditated to achieve moksha (salvation) here. (View from the top of the Hill) (Temple on the top) (Bahubali) The town is located in between two lofty hills, named Vindyagiri and Chandragiri. The landscape around this place is greener and fertile looking. From the top of the hill one can see a huge pond in the centre, which is calle...