Heartening News from India

I have been following the Ayodhya dispute since it hit the national headlines in the 1980s. It is good to see some sort of a verdict from the courts on the issue now, finally. The mob had its say and did what it had to do, that was an angry, passionate, mob and the repercussions were not good for the entire country. But now after several years people have moved on, and there are other priorities in front of the nation's youth now. This is precisely the reason the courts have been able to deliver a reasonably fair judgment.

I am pretty sure the secular intelligentsia, media celebrities, and politicians are highly disappointed with the judgment. I am pretty sure now people of India are aware of the games the secular people play. That is why there has been no riots and trouble after the judgment.

Personally speaking I am happy with the judgment. The courts have responded to the sentiments of the hither-to beaten down majority of India. They have upheld the sanctity of a holy space for Hindus even while showing token respect (or appeasement) to the Muslim Invader and his descendents who ruled India for several centuries. I hope this will continue and Hindus will gain more respect not only in India but across the world.

My trip to Nanjangud

The first week of my holiday in Bengaluru I visited Mysore and Nanjangud with parents and extended family members. The trip was a pilgrimage for my father who had promised to visit the ancient Shiva temple here. The trip was quite eventful with several things happening including problems with the vehicle and a major stomach upset after I returned home.

Mysore city Road

We started off at 8 am in the morning from home and after some family visits in Mysore we reached Nanjangud finally at 4.30 pm just in time for the temple opening. I was visiting Nanjangud after 12 years and the place offered quite a few surprises to me. For one thing the roads around the temple have been cleaned up and some aesthetic hedge plants have been planted along the medians. The town used to be a dusty, grimy place, but today it is a clean and neat location which evokes devotion.

Street scene in downtown Mysore

The temple is currently undergoing renovation and hence there are some areas inside the shrine that are not so impressive. Here are some pictures of my visit to the temple town.

View of the Entrance to Nanjangud temple

A view of the pillars that support the entrance to the Nanjangud temple

Attractive temple frescoes

Sculptures inside the temple

In Bangalore... after a short trip.....

It has been a week since I am back in good old Bengaluru... the city has grown by leaps and bounds as usual. I took a short trip to Nanjangud, a small pilgrimage town less than 200 km from here and it was a different experience altogether.

The journey was pretty swift on smooth and newly widened roads and what totally caught me by surprise was the amount of infrastructure development that has taken place in Nanjangud. I remember visiting the city more than a decade ago and it was a crumbling little village struggling to handle the increasing tourist/ pilgrim traffic. Today it is a swank tourist town with smooth concrete roads, vast open spaces, neat riverside areas for worshippers, devotees who wish to take a holy dip, and even fishermen. The temple itself is undergoing renovation right now and the part of it that is complete is simply superb. Going by this testimony I am sure the temple will be transformed into a wonderful tourist/ devotional/ pilgrim center once the renovation is complete.

I will conclude with a hope that I will be able to visit the temple again once the renovation is complete.

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali

Image via Wikipedia

Deepavali (Diwali) the festival of lights during which we Hindus symbolically eliminate darkness, ignorance, and evil from this world and work for a better tomorrow is here. We kicked off the three day festival by visiting the temple and one of our close friends. We look forward to the weekend which will hopefully full of festivities.

Beauty of Nature's creations

During my recent visit to California we stopped by at the Malibou temple. The temple is a beautiful white structure built as per South Indian style of architecture. But this post is not about the temple, it is about the antics of a squirrel I saw in the temple parking lot. This little creature was enjoying the summer prancing around the cars, bushes and trees in the open. It was a delight to watch this creature enjoying itself in nature without a care in the world. I tried to capture some of its interesting antics in my camera. Here are some of the better pictures...

The first sighting: squirrel looking for food scraps in the parking lot

As soon as the squirrel saw us walking, it scampered across the tarmac for cover

Stopped on the ledge ready to spring, waiting to see what we were upto

Trying to take cover or looking for food inside a car bumper

After roaming around parked cars, the squirrel came back to pose for pictures

Gokak Falls – Karnataka’s Niagara

A relatively unknown but exotic tourist getaway is Karnataka’s Gokak falls. Often compared to the globally famous Niagara falls this thundering waterbody is sited in the Belgaum district of Karnataka state. Sited in a picture postcard location between two tall, craggy cliffs in Gokak falls is an ideal soul-soothing destination.

One can hear the roar of the fall much before it actually comes into sight. Gokak falls is formed when the Ghataprabha river after flowing through the black soil plains enters the rocky belt of Gokak where the flow of the river is broken by a tableland about 180 ft above the neighbouring valley, forcing the river to take a giant leap over the sandstone cliff, into a horseshoe shaped gorge. The falling river makes a thundering noise.

This is one of the few falls which one can get to the top and look down into the gorge where the water is falling down into the dizzying depths. The closer one gets to the fall and the louder one hears the roar of the water falling down into the valley is deafening. The sound makes it difficult to even make simple conversation and one has to shout hoarse to be heard. A walk along the cliffs beside the jumping waters is a soothing experience and provides panoramic views of rugged cliffs and water. Being an open space there is always a cool breeze bringing with it a gentle spray of moisture from the waterfalls.

The horseshoe shaped waterfall spans a breadth of 177 meters as it sweeps over the brink of the cliff, presents an awe-inspiring sight. The best time to view and enjoy the glory of the Gokak falls is from June-October when it rains in the region. According to the Mysore State Gazetteer Gokak falls was discovered in 1885 by British explorers, who described the falls thus: “Except in width and colour of water, the general features of the fall, its height, shape and rapidity above are very much like those of the Niagara.”

Soon after the discovery of the falls, the British established the Gokak Water Power and Manufacturing Company – a textile mill – with an investment of Rs.20 lakh. Later in 1907-08 the company installed an electric turbine to generate hydro-electricity. The town’s colonial past is resplendent in the mill’s elegant stone buildings. The mill and the power plant are operational even today and the main activity of the former is conversion of Cotton into yarn.

Another important historical landmark here is the 210-metre long hanging wooden bridge built across the river built in 1907 to enable workers from nearby villages to cross the river and arrive at work. A walk on this century old creaking bridge – on which only 30 people are allowed at a time – is a thrilling experience. One can view the breathtaking vista of the waterfalls directly below as one walks across the bridge.

The riverside temple dedicated to Lord Mahalingeshwara. Locally known as Tarakeshwara temple (as described in an inscription dated 1153 A.D of Ratta Kartaveerya III found inside the temple), the Mahalingeshwara temple is a large and sprawling structure built in the Later Chalukyan style of architecture. The temple has a garbhagriha, (sanctum), an ardhamantapa and a spacious but open mukhamantapa (frontal courtyard). The sanctum with its tall Shikara adorned with exquisite sculptures is a sight to behold.

Getting there
Road. Gokak Falls is a mere six km from Gokak town and 71 km from Belgaum. Every 15 minutes a bus departs from Belgaum’s Khade Bazaar bus terminus to Gokak.
Rail. Ghataprabha railway station about 3 km from Gokak town is the nearest railhead. The Gokak falls is about 7 km from the railway station.
Air. Belgaum has a civilian airport at Sambra. Deccan Aviation operates regular flights from all major cities across the country.

More Pictures of the Falls

Guinness World Records finally gives recognition to Hindu Temples

Akshardham temple, Delhi gets Guinness record
It is good news, to know that the western world which hitherto were mainly focussed on the negatives of India is slowly beginning to look at the positives of our country. The Guinness Book of World Records which had thus far not included any Hindu temple in its list of world's large religious structures has now added the Akshardham temple, Delhi. The whole world is aware, of the plethora of large and sprawling temples which dot the Indian hinterland. But surprisingly the presence of large religious structures in India had escaped the notice of Guinness executives till date.

The Akshardham temple in Delhi has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's largest Hindu temple complex.

A senior official of the Guinness World Records Ltd travelled to India last week to present two world record certificates to the head of Swaminarayan Sansthan, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Michael Witty, a senior member of the Guinness World Record Main Management Committee, presented the awards to Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sansthan (BAPS) under two categories: Most Hindu temples consecrated by a single person and secondly, the world's largest comprehensive Hindu temple.

This is the first time that the Guinness Book has recognised a Hindu temple in its list of large religious structures.

Read more on Deccan Herald

It has been long since I updated the blog. Have been travelling hectically on work and for personal reasons. Had been to some amazing places including Coutrallam Falls, Sri Villipuththur and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

Was looking through some old pictures of my travels and found this one and felt that I must share it with all of you who visit my blog. This was shot more than a year ago at Devarayanadurga hills about 80 km from Bangalore.