We reached Nanjungud, took a room there for night.. Next day morning, we got ready and went to Temple.. Destination 1: Nanjangud Nanjangud is also known as "Dakshina Kashi" or "Varanasi/Prayag of South". Main deity of this temple is Srikanteshwara.. Nanju in kannada means poison; the name Nanjundeshwara means the "God who Drank the Poison". Its quite a big temple.. Temple is located near River Kapila.. Lot of devotees, take bath in this river and have darshan of this lord.. We had darshan and left to next place..
Nanjangud temple
A big Idol of shiva at entrance of temple
Destination 2: Himavad Gopalaswamy temple Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, is a hill (betta in Kannada) located in the Chamarajanagar district of the state of Karnataka, at a height of 1454 m. It is said the hills covers fog round the year and thus
named Himavad(Hima is snow/ice in Kannada) and the
temple of Venugopalaswamy (Lord Krishna) thus called Himavad
Gopalaswamy Betta. It is a very small temple with small Idol of Lord Venu gopala..
Either side of the hill is a dense forest, and purohit said wild life, especially elephants come upto temple also.. We saw elephant dung on stairs and realised it was a fact. We had darshan of lord and came out.. It was excellent scenic view from the top of hill/temple... We saw some elephants far away in the wild.. We came down and waited for a while, and we could see wild elephants and baby elephants close by.. Took some pics and head to next destination..
Stairs to temple
Scenic view from hill/temple
Destination 3: Vontikoppal temple Main deity of Vontikoppal temple is Sri Lakshmi Venkatramana Swamy temple.. The temple is located in place called Vontikoppal in mysore, thats why its also called Vontikoppal Sri Lakshmi Venkatramana Swamy temple.
Vontikoppal temple
Vontikoppal temple
Destination 4: KRS - Brindavan garden KRS or Krishna Raja Sagara is a dam as well as lake, built across Caveri river. The dam inhouses beautiful garden called Brindavan garden.. Dam was built by a famous engineer Sir M Visvesvaraya.. The reservoir is the main source of drinking water for all of mysore and Bangalore..
I have visited KRS before umpteen number of times. Its a great place to spend as a picnic.. But this time it was very hot, and we dint feel like spending much time, just took some pics and left to our next destination.
Small fountains in KRS
Small fountains in KRS
Small fountains in KRS
Destination 5: Balmuri Falls Balmuri falls is a water falls outskirst of mysore, and a favourite picnic spot.. Balmuri is technically not a water falls, but river cauvery flows on a river bed, and there is a check dam built for irrigation purpose, when dam is filled, it flows in a long cascade making it a beautiful view.
Lots of movies are shot in this place, and people enjoy playing in water and there are lots of stall selling fish and other snacks.. We had lots of fun playing in water for around 2hours, ate some snack from nearby stall and left to bangalore, as this was our last destination...
Balmuri falls
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I had been to wonderla,
couple of times with my parents and friends. With Ramesh i was planning
to go to Wonderla from long time, but it hadnt materalised till date.
We
decided to go to wonderla sunday, and was ready around 10:00am, plan was
to be there by 11am.(11am is opening time on sat/sun).Last moment my dad
and my bro also decided to join us..We 4 left around 10:30am and
reached there by 11:30am.We were a bit unlucky as there was a huge gang of college students and we had to wait atleast 20-30mins for each rides. When
we stood in first que it was around 11:45am. As expected with this
college gang we ended up standing in queue for 20-30mins for each ride,
which wasted most of our time...We made our plans to start with Dry
rides first and then have lunch and
then enjoy the water games. Every time we stood in the line
for a ride, the topic was about how scary the ride would be and i used
to tell omg, i cant play this, let me step back(but ended up playing
all:)Post the ride it was always thrilling and would jump into the line
again to go for other ride. It was almost 4pm when we decided to have
lunch. We had lunch, in a restaurant near the water pool. Lunch was tasty and was not very expensive.. We
then changed our dress and went into pool. We enjoyed a while in water
tubes, and enjoyed a theme where bucket fills water and pours it over. Ramesh, Bro and Dad enjoyed a lot playing in Slides in water pool. I am
scaredof water slides, but Ramesh made me slide in a tiny
slide.. I managed to slide thrice in that tiny slide and enjoyed it a
lot. It has lot more water slides compared to Innovative film city theme park. Later i also played in slide which carries us in rubber
rafts and make their way down, negotiating curves and loops on the way,
to end up splurging in a shallow pool. Though i was scared to death, i
enjoyed once we came down.By then Artifical wave started, we headed to
wave pool, and enjoyed a lot in wave pool.. Around 6:30pm we came out, got dressed and played Water splash ride and Musical Fountain & Laser Show till 7:30pm... Here is list of rides we played... 1. Wonderla Bamba A
high thrill 18 seated with the wonder la mascot, which takes you up and
down in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions, with sudden,
unexpected accelerations and abrupt drops from a height of 5.5 meters.
2. Crazy wagon Crazy
Wagon is the massive family ride themed like a horse-wagon. . It is an
insanely oscillating wagon that swings in every possible direction. It
moves to an amazing height of 21mt and appeals to riders of all ages,
offering a huge orbiting sensation, with alternating movements of
varying speed, both clockwise and anti-clockwise. The ride uses imported
drive train and mechanical parts. 3. Equinox Riders
on this ultimate thrill ride sit in outward-facing suspended seats of
5.5 meter diameter that can seat maximum of 25 adult riders. The
suspended seats mean that the riders’ legs dangle freely, and each seat
has an individual shoulder harness with a lock sensor. The ring is
suspended on a big arm of length 9 meters and this arm swings back and
forth when driven by powerful motors in a seemingly pendulum motion.
Mean while the ring of the seats starts rotating on in its axis as well.
At its peak, the arm swings at a maximum speed of 70km/h, riders are
upside down 16mt above the ground and experience a multitude of
thrilling forces.
4. Y- Scream Eight seats of
capsules, each seat holding four riders, are suspended from a blow-like
structure from a height of 20 meters. The bow swings and turns like a
joint wheel, while the capsules themselves turns on their axis, making
the occupants scream. 5. Mixer This is a
ride that gives you the feeling of being caught in a mixer/blender. The
capsule gyrates and moves in all possible directions giving you a ride
you won’t forget in the immediate future.
6. Insanity This
is a four-armed giant of a robot with ‘four fingers’ to each arm. Each
fingers has two capsules into which rides are safely harnessed. Using
sophisticated hydraulics, the machine moves each arm and each finger
independently, turning, twisting, and swiveling in every direction
possible, giving you a ride that’s sure to drive you insane.
7. Drop Zone If
bungee jumping is what you fancied, here’s something just as
exhilarating. Securely seated around a vertical column, Drop Zone hoists
you up to a dizzying height of 17 meters, and then just let’s go,
plummeting you to earth with all the force that gravity can muster. Up
and down, up and down, till you’ve had all the free-fall you can handle
for a day. Pneumatic dampeners cushion the fall and ensure you have a
safe landing.
7.Hang Glider Hang Glider is an
adventurous ride that takes the riders a trip on the air at a dizzying
height on steel cables and glides down at speed giving a feeling of
flight. The movements are computer controlled using a complex system of
hydraulic lifts and pulleys, and ensures the international safety
standards. The ride gives an opportunity to have a sight on the whole
Wonderla and its surroundings.
8. Pirate Ship This
is a swing in a shape of a wooden craft as a gather of momentum; it
swings to an arc of 1800, giving you an accelerating rush of adrenaline.
Riders are safely harnessed in their seats. Not for the week hearted.
9.Skywheel Firmly
straddling a 13-storey-high tower, the giant wheel with a diameter of
30 meters, gives riders a bird’s eye view of the park and its
surroundings and the city beyond, as it slowly turns on its axis.
Spacious lifts carry visitors to the top of the tower, which is a
landmark that can be seen from miles around.
10. Techno jump This
ride has 14 spokes arranged radically around a hub. At the outer end of
each spoke is a capsule that can seat three. The spokes are raised and
lowered hydraulically, while the whole contraption spins like carousal. 11. Wondersplash This
ride is an absolute must for every visitor to Wonderla. A bogie that
resembles a raft made of logs is hauled up a hill using a conveyor and
taken through a tunnel. On emerging from the tunnel, it hurtles down a
steep incline at a dizzying speed and splashes into a shallow pool,
sending a glorious spray of water and drenching the riders in the
process. This is the fun ride suitable for all the age groups.
12. Termite Coaster & Train Inside
what appears to be a gigantic termite mound with a witch’s mouth for
entry, are two popular rides – the Termite Train and the Termite
Coaster. The Termite Train winds along a crazy track with sharp curves,
steep climbs and dizzying drops. If that sound tame to you, try the
Coaster. It will take you screaming, up and down hair-raising loops at
break-neck spee
13. Musical Fountain & Laser Show Wonderla
boasts of India’s only indoor musical fountain where you can watch a
colourful display as water takes centre stage and dances gracefully to
the accompaniment of music and brilliantly choreographed lighting. This
is followed by the enthralling spectacle of a hi-tech laser show. A
not-to-be-missed extravaganza. Check with park assistants for show
timings.
14. Water Rides: Water rides include Wave pool, Lazy river with water tubes, Slides, and different themes of water pouring from huge bucket, huge umbrella and many more.. Ramesh enjoyed water rides to core..
Below are the things, which we missed, because of time constraints.. Planning to visit them on our next trip to Wonder La.... 3d (MISSED THIS) Using
high definition 3D video, multi-channel surround sound, high power
blowers and hydraulics-assisted seats that move in perfect
synchronisation with the visual content, rolly-polly monkey Chikku takes
you on a adventurous treasure hunt journey through the dense forest,
enjoying the serenity and beauty of it and facing the challenge of
deadly cobra and other stiff challenges at the end achieves is goal.
Cine magic 3D is an absolute family thriller that brings you the essence
virtual reality cinema. Hurricane (MISSED THIS) This
is a ride that looks like a giant three-bladed fan that rises to a
height of 20 meters. Riders sit in secure capsules that form the blades
of the fan. Each capsule can seat eight persons. As the fan turns, each
capsule also rotates on its own axis, giving you the feeling of being
caught in a whirlwind. Recommended age: 12 years and above. Not
recommended for heart patients or people suffering from high BP. Toon Tango (MISSED) This
is the ride for all the age groups where twosomes (or threesomes if you
can squeeze yourselves in) are seated in one of the four capsules that
emanate from a central pivot and are gently spun around as if in a
waltz. There are multiple units. Dungeon Ride (MISSED) The
Dungeon Ride is an intense and exiting ride though a dungeon hunted by
its notorious jail warden’s ghost. The ride is based on a fictional
account of a savage jail warden – Amarjeeth Rane. The ride explores the
darkest recesses of a tormented mind and employs the most sophisticated
computer technology to make the peoples blood run cold. This is one ride
that challenges rider’s wits. This unique ride combines complex
hydraulic and pneumatic controlled attractions and the entire attraction
works automatically without any human interference. Maverick (Missed) Maverick,
like the name suggests, is a ride that doesn’t go by the rules. It
turns. It twists. It tilts. It swivels. It turns you upside down and
every which way possible. It defies the rules of motion and momentum.
The 21-seater raft hinged to an independently acting vertical column at
either end does everything to drive you crazy. When you are on it you’ll
scream for it to stop, but after you are done with it, you’ll want to
do it again. Safety harnesses hold you securely in place while the
machine goes through its paces. If you found this post useful, I would really love it, if you
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My parents had once visited Melkote but could not have darshan as they reached there @ closing time(1:00pm).. Since then my mom wanted to visit Melkote.
We decided to accompany them.I checked places around Melkote and got address and route map of couple of places near Melkote..
Sunday as planned, we reached our parents house by 6:45am. And my parents Us, and my elder brother Mahesh started our journey @ 7:00am.. We hit Maddur around 9:30am, stopped by a restaurant for breakfast and later continued travelling in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya District...
We reached temple around 10:00am.And decided to first visit Yoga Narasimha temple which is on hills and then CheluvaNarayana temple which is in Village.. DESTINATION 1- Melkote : Melkote is around 133kms from Bangalore which is famous for Yoga Narasimha temple and CheluvaNarayana temple.. The standard timings for the Melkote temples are Morning 8.00am to 1.00pm and evening 4.30pm to 7.30pm.
Pond/Kalyani of the temple
Yoga Narasimha temple , seen from near the pond..
Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple is located on top of the hill, steps are Steep and quite a climb,but You can finish it under 30-40 minutes. It is believed that the image of Yoga Narasimha temple at melkote was installed by Prahlada himself. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III presented a gold crown to Lord Yoga Narasimha.(Narasimha is an Avatar of Lord Vishnu).
Steps to Yoga Narasimha temple
Entrance of main temple - Yoga Narasimha temple
Once you enter the temple,in place of Garbhagudi you will find huge Bronze Image of Lord Narsimhar, and opposite wall of the Bronze Image, you will find Actual Idol of Lord Narsimhar and you can find a dark cave right below the deity where Prahalada is said to have meditated in this cave. We had darshan of Lord Narsimhar and climbed down the hills. View from the hill is spectacular, we can also find a pond used by the temple. We bought Jack fruits and bowl of Puliyogre which was really tasty ..We climbed down in next 15mins and headed to Cheluva Narayana temple, which is 5mins away..
Lord Narasimha in Yoga mudre....
Cheluva-Narayana Temple Cheluva-Narayana means Beautiful. Narayana here in Melkote is very beautiful.It is believed that this utsavamurthi belonged to and was worshipped by Lord Rama and the kings of the surya vamsa Dynasty for generations. Later the same idol was given to a king of Chandra vamsam (the dynasty of Lord Krishna) and was worshipped by Lord Krishna and many generations. So CheluvaNarayana is so unique that he was worshipped by both Rama and Krishna.
Lord Cheluvanarayana
According to a legend, this metallic image was lost and was recovered by Sri Ramanujacharya after which he renovated the temple.Legend is the processional idol of this temple had been lost for some time. Realizing that the idol was in the possession of the Muslim emperor in Delhi, Muhammed Shah, Sri Ramanuja decided to go there and get it back.Muhammed Shah was greatly impressed by the saint and granted him permission to take it back. So, the idol came back to Melkote. The daughter of Muhammed Shah, a young girl, was so attached to the idol that when Sri Ramanuja took it back, she followed him, unable to bear separation from her beloved doll. When she reached the temple at Yadugiri and saw the idol installed there, she collapsed in front of it and breathed her last. Sri Ramanuja moved by her unconscious Bhakthi in being so involved with the idol of Nayarana had an idol of her installed at the temple.Even today she is worshipped along with the main deities as Bibi Nachiyar. Her figure can be seen at the foot of the main idol and also beside her beloved Sampath Kumara, the processional idol. Some people confuse this and say Lord Venkateshwara married a muslim(You can search this in google, many claim "Bibi Nanchari" was muslim wife of Lord).But Bibi Nachiyar (Became Bibi Nanchari over time) was just a great devotte like Meera.. Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was a great devotee of this Lord and presented Lord a crown known as Raja-mudi or Vajra-mudi.Along with this one more precious Crown is Vaira-mudi, which is believed to be presented by Lord Krishna. Vairamudi, the diamond crown, was stolen from Sriman Narayana, when he was asleep at his abode in the Ksheera Sagara (Milky Ocean), by Virochana. Virochana was the king of demons and the son of Bhakta Prahlada. Garuda fought with Virochana and got custody of Crown and while flying back its blue gem on the crest is believed to have fallen near Nachiar Koil, a temple town in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. The gem turned into a stream, called the Manimuttaru, which to this day flows in Thanjavur. On his way, he saw Bala Krishna playing with his friends in the mid day sun at Brindavana. Garuda protected the Bala Krishna from the sun by placing his wings as the shade & placed the crown on his head. The local legends of Melkote claim that Krishna presented Cheluva Narayana with this crown.
Vairamudi - Diamond Crown of Lord..(From net)
Vairamudi Brahmostava is an annual festival which gathers more than 3-4 lakh devotees of Lord Cheluva Narayana. Thirunarayana Puram another name for Melkote adorns a festive grandeur on this day when the Lord adorns the legendary diamond studded crown, the Vaira Mudi. The Lord is taken in procession on the golden Garuda with His divine consorts Sridevi & Bhudevi, around the main streets of the city.
Vairamudi Bhramavotsavam (From net)
There was special pooja going on and we had to wait for mahamangalarti. We took Darshan of Lord Cheluva-Narayana and Mahalakshmi and went around temple to find some beautiful carvings on pillars near Lakshmi/Padmavati temple. By the time we came out it was around 12:30pm. DESTINATION 2 - NAGAMANGALA:
Sowmya Keshava temple
We asked couple of people about Hosaholalu,(Lakshminarayanaswamy temple) but was surprised that localites dint know this address. When asked about big temple in this village they spoke of Nagmangala(Which was next place on my list). It was already 12:30 n since most of temples close by 1:00pm,we gaveup Hosalholalu and headed towards Nagamangala which is around 30kms , Melkote Soumyakeshava is believed to be around 1000yrs old.The temple was built by Hoysalas around 12th century. Main sanctum has Lord Soumyakeshava, and left sanctum has Rukmini-Krishna and right sanctum has Lakshmi-Narasimha.
3 Main idols of Sowmya keshava temple...
One more attraction of this temple is central hall roof top, is carved with Mandala where Adhi Shesha is sitting on a big Shanku which appears as if it is placed on heap of 108 Shanku from 1 side. And from other side you can See Rahu & Ketu on other side..
Observe Hood of Adisesha, from1 end we can see Rahu and Ketu from other end..
Preist told this temple is famous for solving the Rahu-Ketu dosha and removes any blockade that is currently affecting someone.Keshava Klesha Nashana.(Keshava will destory Klesha means problems)..\ Purohit suggested we can do Naga pooja and they will lite lamp for 48days (1 mandala) behalf of us.. We did sankalpa and paid 300rs for this pooja. They took address to post the prasadam after 48days..(Have heard many people doing this pooja to remove Nagadosha if any..) It was already 1:00pm by then. We told Purohit we wanted to visit Basaralu, mallikarjuna temple and but it will be closed by now.. He suggested we can ask Basaralu temples purohit to open the temple saying we have come from bangalore. DESTINATION 3 - BASRALU: I was happy, as we had already missed Hosaholalu temple..We went to Basaralu which is 15kms from Nagamangala. Temple was closed as expected.. We went to purohit's house, which was next to temple, and explained we are from blore, and we have to visit temple then head to blore by nite.. He said he will come in 10 mins, by then a boy came and opened the temple. From outside the temple looks, just a empty structure without pillars and Gopuram. Once we go inside, we can find beautiful Hoysala Structure..
Main Entrance of the temple..
It was built in the 13th Century by Harihara Dannayaka, who was in charge of the armies under the Hoysala King Narasimha II. The temple is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India
Hoysala structure , built in star shape...
The Presiding deity is Lord Mallikarjuna in form of Linga. In the left sanctum we can can find Naga-Nagini (male and female serpent God)carved in single stone, and in right sanctum we can find Lord Surya.
Other notable carvings in Garbhagriha is Mahishasura mardini, lord Ganesha, Saraswati.. Outside the Garbhagriha we can find Nandi. Like many Hoysala structures, this is a star shaped structure and can find carvings from Ramayana/mahabharata epics and different gods on pillars and stone walls around the temple.. We took some snaps, took Arati of Lord Mallikarjuna and headed to our last destination of the day..
Rows of Mythological animal & stories from Ramayana & Mahabharatha
DESTINATION 4 - K.M DODDI:
This place is renowned for the holy bull of the Bhairaveshwara Temple.I had even seen in T.V about importance of this place.. Devotees of this bull believe that it cures illness, settles disputes, identifies thieves from among suspects, etc. Money and other offerings given to this Basavana by devotees is adorned on the Basavanna, and once in week/month, it is removed and used to construct temple,school and kalynam mantapam.
Lord Basappa, as called by beloved Devotees.
.
Aalamanes' or Jaggery-making unitS. On the way we saw Jaggery making units and stopped by to see how they make Jaggery.. Also mom wanted to buy some Jaggery.. When i asked what is process of Jaggery making he explained below process..The process of manufacturing jaggery involves crushing sugarcane using a crusher and extracting juice out of it. The sugar cane juice is then poured in a large shallow but thick iron vessels / pan (called Kadhai) and made to boil over earthen ovens. It is continuously stirred using large ladles to avoid sticking at the bottom of the vessel. This boiling and stirring goes on for hours until most of the water from the juice is vapourised and the juice starts to thicken, as the concentration of sugar increases in it.
Can u c huge kadhai @ back boiling sugar cane, then it is let flow in this filter...
Slowly it becomes super saturated and assumes a golden to golden brown thick paste form. Now, this needs a lot of experience to decide the right moment when the jaggery is done, because any under doing or over doing may ruin the taste. Now, the thick paste obtained is poured in various molds, pertaining to different quantities. On further condensation, the jaggery solidifies and is taken out of the molds, wrapped in paper and packed in jute or plastic bags. We tasted Fresh Jaggery, Wow it was yummy.... Mandya district has 3000 such "‘Aalamanes' or Jaggery-making units.....
Jaggery Moulds..
Yummy Fresh Jaggery is ready...
On the way stopped by McDonalds which is on Bangalore-Mysore Highway. Grabbed a burger and reached blore in next 2hrs.. If you found this post useful, I would really love it, if you
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