Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple - 01 June 2013

We had seen and heard references to a 1300 year old temple in the Nandi village near Nandi Hills. But, in spite having made innumerable trips to Nandi hills, we had never got around to exploring this. This time however, we were determined to make it to the Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple .

The weekend trip to Nandi hills was set up nicely with the monsoons hitting Bangalore with heavy rains on Friday. So, when we started from Bangalore on Saturday at 7:30 AM , it was pleasant all along the way. We reached the hills by 9 AM and were welcomed by chilly winds. This time again, like the last time, we were pleasantly surprised by some new additions to the place. The new  additions were a number of new view points (See picture below).

We spent a couple of hours inhaling the fresh air, paid a visit to the temple atop the hill and then headed down and got on our way to the Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple. The temple is about 7-8 km from the base of Nandi hills. When you start back from the base of the hills towards Bangalore, at Karahalli, instead of turning right (for Bangalore), continue straight for a few kilometers to reach the temple.

The temple complex was much bigger than we had expected, with large, well maintained lawns on both sides of the walk way.


There were a few huge stone wheels at the entrance, possibly part of a chariot in the past!

The section right after you enter is the main temple area with the sanctum. The main temple deity is Shiva Parvati and Nandi (Shiva's mount or Vahana)

Apart from the main gods, the temple houses a idol of Ganapati, in a unique form, Ugra Ganapati.

There was also a window with an interesting design which looked like creating a silhouette of Nataraja


To the right of the main temple, there is a structure similar to a Kalyana Mantapa (marriage hall).


Further right, is the temple lake (Kalyani), a huge structure with the hills in the background.


We heard that, thrice in a year, 1,00,000 lamps are lit in the temple. Our next visit would be on one of those days :)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Top 5 things you must do on your visit to Hampi

The iconic stone chariot
1. Rent a motor bike and go around Hampi
If you can ride a motor bike, I would say this is the best option to go around the town and is definitely recommended. You get full flexibility of how much time to spend at each site. Also, the best time of day to roam around Hampi is early in the day (8AM - 11AM) and late in the afternoon (3PM - 6:30PM) since the temperatures shoot up around noon. Having a bike lets you adjust your schedule based on the weather.

Bike rents vary from Rs 150 to 300 based on the type of bike plus the cost of fuel @ Rs90 per litre. Make sure you get a fairly new bike.


2. Stay on the other side of the river
The town on the other side of the river (Virupapura Gaddi) has a lot of resort like stay options with some of them offering cottages facing paddy fields and the river. We stayed at one such place - Mowgli and we totally enjoyed the experience. This is probably one of the better ones among the lot.

There is one drawback of staying on the other side of the river. The boat facility to cross the river is only till 6 in the evening. So, you need to get back by then. If you are on a 3 day trip, you could plan staying one day here to relax and shift base to the other side for the other days.

Cottage at Mowgli
3. Trek to the top of Anjanadri hill around sunset
Anjanadri hill, near Hampi is another sunset retreat. The place is closer if you are staying on the other side of the river and the visit can be combined with visits to Pampa Sarovar and Durga temple.

The trek to Anjanadri hill involves climbing 500 - 600 steps and the best time for this is around early evening. The climb unfolds some breathtaking views of surrounding landscape.
View while trekking up to Anjanadri hills
View while trekking up to Anjanadri hills

4. Enjoy sunset from the royal enclosure, especially on top of Mahanavami Dibba
The best time to visit the royal enclosure is around early evening. You can reach there around 3PM, visit the surrounding monuments like Lotus Mahal, elephant stables, queens bath etc. and be at the Mahanavami Dibba around 5:30 PM. We were there around 6 and witnessed some of the magic.

Sunset at Mahanavami Dibba


5. Eat at the "Mango Tree"
This is probably the best place in Hampi to head for a lunch or dinner after a long day of site seeing. The place has a unique ambiance with most of the tables being open air and facing the river. The food is awesome with choice of cuisine ranging from Indian to Mediterranean  There is, however a catch. The place is a 10 minute walk from the town center near the boat point. So, it is not very convenient if you don't have private transport. That is what makes point 1 even more important.
Walk to the "Mango Tree" through banana plantations

Here are a few glimpses from our trip.

Virupaksha Temple
Virupaksha Temple

Ceiling painting inside Virupaksha Temple
Kadalekalu Ganapati
Sasivekalu Ganapati
Krishna Temple 

Pushkarani at Krishna temple 


Ugra Narasimha

Badavi Linga

Mahanavami Dibba
Stepped Tank

Queen's Bath
Vijaya Vittala Temple

Vijaya Vittala Temple
Vijaya Vittala Temple
Stone Chariot

Lotus Mahal
Atop Anjanadri Hills
Pampa Sarovara
Some interesting rock formations

Monday, January 21, 2013

Shanmukha Temple - 20 Jan 2012


We have been using the PESIT - Kengeri NICE road stretch for a while now. Every time we go there, we see some of the new and interesting temple structures that have come up and think that we should visit those places. One such temple was the six headed Shanmukha temple. We decided to pay a visit today.
Main Temple Structure
The approach to the temple is from Rajarajeshwari nagar. While going on Mysore Road, you take a left at the Rajarajeshwari Gate and drive along for 2-3 KM. At this point, you reach a double road and you have to take a left again and go on for one km or so to reach the temple. There is also another approach from Hoskerehalli which involves narrow roads and could be confusing.

At the temple, you need to climb about 150 steps to reach the main structure. You will also see a Panchamukhi Ganapati temple as you climb the steps. Another interesting feature at the temple is the collection of thousands of Ganesha idols of all shapes and sizes.

The best time of day to visit would be about 5-5:30 PM, about the time when the Sun sets. The temple looks amazing in the sunset and the lights are switched on around 6.

Temple timings
Morning: 7 AM - 12 Noon
Evening 4:30 PM - 9 PM

Temple Entrance


Main Temple Structure

Temple with lighting