A lone cycle awaits the tourist at the Kodai lake. The best way to get around this beautiful lake is by cycling around it


A couple at the Guna caves. Its difficult to see you way ahead with the mist enveloping the caves, but it sure feels ethereal

The walkway around the lake where everything happens. Not much in the winter though

Boats rest during their winter break

Carrot sellers

The waterlilies at the lake

Watching the setting Sun, Devarayanasamudra


Atop the hill at DRS, off Old Madras Rd

Rural Kolar

Structure, DRS

A short break, on the way to Antaragange

A secret pond at the base of the hill, DRS

Two friends chat till late evening, DRS

Atop the hill, DRS

‘Tasveer’
Sua House (next to the British Library)
26/1,
Kasturba Road Cross,
Bangalore.

Open from 11 am to 6 pm on all days. Saturdays and Sundays with prior appointment only.

Phones: 41120782/ 9845003131

Kolar might not be on a regular tourist’s map but it is, as I discovered during the last few years at college, undeniably raw and beautiful. The weekend rides through rocky hill scapes and dusty villages and short treks leading absolutely nowhere are a few things that I terribly miss after I returned to the city! These are a few pictures from my journal (2002-03).


Craters, near Devarayasamudra, Mulbagal Rd

Rainbow on the Markandeshwara hill

Awaiting the rains

Time to go home

Road to nowhere

All images copyright Dr Vivek M

So, we didn’t want to let go of the weekend without a few selfish shots of the city. Anita, friend and photographer, and I, really didn’t know where to head for and finally decided to shoot some unsuspecting lives around the nearby Ulsoor Lake. But it wasn’t as busy as we had expected. The only people lurking around at seven thirty were the couples in love; and only a few. The full moon was the day before and the one in front of us played hide and seek with the clouds.


A full moon had passed by

The Ganapathy temple overlooking the lake

Passing lights

A boat rests on the banks

Another view of the temple

A young woman performs as a part of the Arthi competition

Women get ready for the Sindhoor ceremony, the final day

Smearing Sindhoor on each other

A joyous Bengali at the festival

All images copyright 2006 Dr Vivek M

Here is another weekend break from Bangalore that one could explore. The 16th century temple of Lepakshi is around 125 km from Bangalore and is surely worth a visit. The temple is built on the Vijayanagar style of architecture and is known for the unique paintings on the ceilings of the temple.

Take the road to Bagepalli through Chikballapur and continue along the highway till you reach Kodikanalli, where you must take a left. Although the route through Dodballapur and Hindupur is a little shorter, the roads are horrible. Riding to Lepakshi on a bike would definitely be enjoyable.

Lepakshi is a tiny village and apart from a few ‘tiffin’ shacks there are no good options for an eatery. You could try the basic ‘meals’ available at these shacks or carry your own food. It is best done as a day trip.

All images copyright 2006 Dr Vivek M

The ochre and burgundy seem to be the omnipotent hues here. The shimmering gold of the structures are conspicuous from miles away. The drone of the distant drums and pipes relentlessly fill the air. If only a few snow capped mountains would show up in the horizon…

Every time I visit the Tibetan settlement near Mysore, 250 km from Bangalore, I never cease to be amused and thrilled at the same time. Although I find it quite difficult to digest the fact that this is, in fact, a piece of Tibet, I am really glad that I can get a whiff of the mystical land right in my backyard without having to make an epic journey.

A student chants at the Namdroling

The people are the same, I am told. And it shows. They always smile at the tourist, never have restrictions even for the ignorant and instil their monasteries with warmth and camaraderie that is palpable by everyone who spends a few moments inside them. It is difficult not to admire them.

Monk at the Namdroling Monastery

Students walk past the Sera Je

The colours only get brighter and merrier on the monasteries and inside. The gold mixes seamlessly with the curls of turquoise and the crimson. The dragons seem to emerge out from the intricate wooden carvings. Flags of myriad hues flutter with the evening wind.

A young student at Kagyu

Stupas at Kagyu

The pupils take their place in front of the golden deities. Tea is served and the chants begin. The drums soon make their thunderous presence felt while the pipes sustain the din. I close my eyes and the snow capped mountains matter no more. I am in Tibet.

All photographs copyright 2006 Dr Vivek M. More photographs here

Although the darkness was momentarily blinding as I stepped into the shaded entrance of the Sri Cheluvanarayana Temple of Melkote, it was a pleasant respite from the scorching April sun. My eyes slowly opened to the dimly lit space and I could see the greasy granite walls of the temple that magically kept the air cooled for the grateful few hundred of Vaishnav devotees who came in late on that sunny morning. This idol of Lord Vishnu, affectionately referred to as ‘Cheluvaiah’ by the locals, takes the center stage at Melkote, one of the four most sacred places of Vaishnavism in South India.

The temple, built in the Vijayanagar style, houses some of the most intricately carved pillars that I have ever seen. Many huge granite pillars are slit into multiple thin ones with complicated carvings of deities and Hindu symbols. The niches and spaces fashioned out of the granite never fail to make one ponder about the immensely gifted ancient sculptors. The outer gopuram is comparatively quite modest though, painted in cream, another trade mark of the Vijayanagar style.

A Kalyani at Melkote

Melkote, a temple town whose past is vaguely woven together by an interesting mix of documented history and complex, yet intriguing, Hindu mythology, lies roughly 150 km south west of Bangalore. The idol of Cheluvaiah (Lord Vishu), originally created at the behest of Brahma for his prayers and installed at the present day Melkote by his son, was lost and buried during the many battles between the Hindu and Muslim rulers who came to invade the south. The processional deity was taken away by a Muslim ruler, Mohammed Badshah. The famous Vaishnav saint Sri Ramanujacharya is said to have dug up the statue of the Cheluvaiah at Melkote (which was known as Yadavadri during those times) with the help of King Vishnuvardhana in the 11 century AD. Ramanujacharya was also responsible for travelling to Delhi and impressing upon the Muslim ruler to return the processional deity. The princess of the ruler, who had been very attached to the beautiful idol by then, is said to have travelled back with Ramanuja to Melkote unable to bear the separation!

The great Iyengar Puliyogare!

Sri Ramanuja is said to have preached Vaishnavism from a place very close to Melkote thus making it a very important destination on a Vaishnav’s map. It also hosts the world renowned diamond crown festival (Vairamudi Festival) that is extremely vibrant in its festivities and traditions. But thankfully, this little town miraculously seems to escape the eventual fate of many big temple towns of South India. There are no armies of beggars ready to pounce on you, no long queues to enter the temple premises, no stinking trenches or dirty, neglected streets. And what’s more, there is not even a fee to see the lord!

Priests at the ‘Thangi kola’

As with many Vaishnav towns, Melkote has its exclusive breed of patrons who give the town its own unique flavour. The ‘Mandyam Iyengars’, a sect of Brahmins, who owe their origin to this place are mostly responsible for keeping the old world feel of Melkote still alive. The tiled houses with their faded ochres and blues and pillars of teak, the cool verandas facing the street and the tall coconut palms in the backyard form the laid-back dwelling of these orthodox Hindus. The bare chested Iyengars, with their foreheads painted with two thick bands of ash on either side of a long and thin central vermillion line running from the root of the nose disappearing into the hairline, and a little tuft of hair dangling behind from their head, parade around the town temple in continuous service to the temple. The aged Iyengars, who seem to be plenty in number at Melkote, spend their time sprawling out in the spacious verandas and involve themselves in reading religious books.

It was noon and as I walked these streets around the temple a compelling aroma of Iyengar Puliyogare (tamarind rice) began to permeate the air. Not surprisingly, I was soon hungry and headed towards one of the many Iyengar food carts that promised to sell more authentic Puliyogare than the one next to it. The Iyengars seem to have their own unique (and well guarded) formula for churning out their divinely tasting Puliyogare unmatched by the kitchens of any other breed. It was truly gratifying, the dish seemed authentic and so did the Iyengar selling it.

A Vaishnav at Melkote

After a heavy dose of Puliyogare and curd rice, I decided to melt it down on my way to the Sanskrit Academy passing through ruins and two temple tanks. The Academy’s library houses an enviable collection of ancient palm leaf manuscripts and it was easy to see why. The lemony smell of a preservative enveloped a huge room with endless racks of dull brown, tattered but neatly labelled manuscripts. Not interested in going into the details of what some of them had to tell, I decided to walk further to end of the ridge of the Melkote hill. A watchtower at the end of the path gave me a glimpse of the brown and green palette of the plains below on one side and the Eucalyptus dominant wildlife sanctuary on the other. The walk was worth it; I enjoyed the silence of the rustling leaves, the call of a koel, the chill wind blowing gently on my face, the view of the dwarfed temple in the distance and the feeling of nothing, on my mind.

Sunset at Thondanur lake

Information:
Melkote is roughly 150 km from Bangalore and is best done on your own vehicle. Just after the town of Mandya on the Bangalore-Mysore highway take a right turn to Melkote. The Thondanur Lake, 18 km from Melkote is a good picnic spot. There are very few eateries at Melkote and they all serve healthy vegetarian food. The Iyengar Puliyogare is a must try at any of the push carts near the Cheluvanarayana temple. No decent staying options though; its better you head off to Mysore, 70 km, for good hotels.

I spent a beautiful Saturday morning at the Nrityagram, the celebrated dance school and venue of Bangalore’s Woodstock- the Vasanthahabba. It was gratifying to know that the ancient Gurukul system of learning is still kept very much alive at Nrityagram, apart from the fact that some of the country’s finest dancers are produced and nurtured here.


Lord Nataraja witnesses the dance rehearsal at the Odissi Gurukul

An Odissi dancer strikes a pose

An Odissi Guru teaches her students

Music for the dance

Noted Odissi dancer and teacher Bijayani Satpathy at the school

Special thanks to Veeresh, for arranging the shoot
More info about Nrityagram here