Pattadakal

The Place where Kings are Crowned...

Pattadakal (Pattada-Kisuvolal of the inscriptions) is where the early Chalukyas used to be

crowned. It is here that the Rekhanagara Prasada and Dravida Vimana styles of temple architecture were given their final form. The Papanatha, Kasivishweshwara, Jambulinga and Galaganatha temples noted for their culvilinear shikara represent the former style. While the MAllikarjuna, Sangameshwara and Virupaksha temples have a square roof of receding tires represent the later. The Lokeshwar(Virupaksha) and the Trilokeshawara (Sangameshwara) temples wer built by Lokamahadevi and Trilokamahadevi, the queens of Vikramaditya II, to commemorate his victory over the Pallavas of Kanchi.

A brick pillared madapa of the late Satavahana period lay bare infront of the Sangameshwara temple.


The latest was a Jain temple of the Rashtrakuta period.

Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva with Parvati

Lord Vishnu

Mermaids depicted on the pillars of the temples of Pattadakal. Which means our people too belived in the mythical creatures centuries earlier.

 

Also See : Badami-Pride of Chalukyas ; Mahakuta ; Badami Caves ; Badami Fort

Badami - The Pride of Chalukyas

A Trip to Badami
Badami is a small town with a lot of tourist traffic.
We went on a trip to Badami to see the rock cut caves that were much talked about, but there is a lot ot Badami than the caves. Badami has a legecy as old as our puranas. Today it is the most sought out shooting location for south indian movies. Why wouldn't it be? The town of Badami is rich in heritage and offers magnificient views to its visitor. The monuments and temples of Badami are a testment to its former glory. The rough looking raviens have embraced the splendid architecture into their arm, like a mother hugging her child and kept the monuments safe for the future generations. The Chalukyas could not have chosen a more beautiful and safe location for their capital. Under the patronage og great kings this once great city florished and expanded. The kings experimented on different architecture and built enormous temples in different styles, the result was a fantastic group of temples all boosting and beeming with the pride of Chalukyas.

Every stone in this place has a story to tell, every rock has earned its place in the world. The enormous cliffs, rugged in appearance have been chiselled hard to look like handsome gaints. People usually visit Badami as part of a package which includes Hampi and Bijapur, that gives you only one day to see Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole, Mahakuta, Banashankari but if you can spare a weekend then you could really enjoy Badami. There are many who just go by the travel guide, but if you are a little bit free spirited you could really enjoy the stay in Badami. Those who are interested in photography will have a great time here as the town itself is a historical site and offers many picturic scenes. Trekking is another activity you will enjoy in Badami. The cliffs in and around Badami offer beatiful sights and scenic locations.

We reached the little station of Badami early in the morning by train, the station was so small it barely had a platform but was severly populated with monkeys. When we came out ther were service autos which the local population used for general commute between Badami and Banasankari. There autos were hurriedly filled in and were on the way even before we decide to take an autorickshaw. Finally we joined with another couple and took an auto to Badami there we checked into a KSDC hotel which was astone throw away from the monuments of Badami. If you are interested you can see the whole town of Badami on foot taking in the local culture. There are other hotels on the way to Badami from the station, which looked far better than the KSDC one we checked into but who was going to stay in the hotel all day anyway, besides if we check into those hotels we have to use their transportation as they are far from the town. We prefer to do it our own way spend as much time as we want in a place we want, not to rush according to a certain timetable.

First thing we visited after reaching Badami were not the caves, we went to the excursions around Badami. First on our list to see was Pattadakal, a village where a group of temples were built using different styles of architecture. Pattadakal got it's name thus as the place where the kings used to be crowned. It is one of the three centers of experimentation of temple architecture and construction. These group of temples include shrines of Papanatha, Kasivisveswara, JAmbulinga, Galagalanatha, Mallikarjuna, Sansameshwara and Virupaksha. The Nandi here is still offered puja here in Pattadakal. The walls are decorated with intricate rock cut designs of Gods, Godesses, Demi-Gods, Celestial and Mythical creatures.

From there we went to Aihole which is the place where the experimentation has first started. It contains one important temple which marks the beginning of the many temples in Pattadakal and Badami.

Mahakuta has one of the most famous Shiva temple which was revered by the great kings themselves. The temple has an aura of ancient mystic energy which we can experience only by being there. There Tall banyan trees that welcome us to this temple are the sentinals of time. Here, even today people come in crowds and reside in the temple premises cooking and praying, singing praises of the Lord and immersing themselves in the mysticism of the temple.

While Mahakuta is the temple for their Prime God Shiva, Banashankari is the temple of Mother Shakti, the consort of Shiva. Pujas were performed here for centuries, it is said that the Mother grants every wish of the devotees who come to visit her.

The next day we spent he whole day in Badami taking in the beauty of the rockcut caves, the Vatapi lake, the fort of Badami and the spread of temples that lay over the expansion. The Vatapi Ganapathi temple and the Bhuthnath temple lie on the banks of the lake.
Badami fort lies east of the Buthnath temple, atop a cliff right opposite the Badami cave temples. The entrance to this fort is right through the Badami museum. It is a steep climb with many view points and dotted with little shrines. The path is laid with neatly cut stone, the same that adores all the architecture around Badami.

The people of Badami have traditions as old as its legecy. We can still see the age old customs, traditions followed here as those that have been followed during the age of kings that ruled this place. The same idols are worshipped for centuries inside the same sanctums, the same lights are lit and the same rituals performed.

A nice place to contemplate life

Also See : Pattadakal ; Mahakuta ; Badami Caves ; Badami Fort

Movie about...

Today I saw a movie about Natalie Halloway
A shocking true story about the disappeareance of a 18 year old girl without a trace.
It really got me thinking, this is a movie every teenager must see. The clever, down to earth, soft teenage girl under the influence of alcohol and drugs could behave in a way that is absolutely not like her and how normal boys under the influence could make mistakes that would ruin their lives for ever and cause so much pain and suffering to so many people.
Girls should know that having too much fun can lead to so many problems. I am a resident of Bangalore and almost everyday I read about deaths and murders in the city. I go out and I see regular girls fallen to the fashions of the big city, change the way they dress and they behave. With parents back home, some small town or village these girls finally experiance freedom and do not think of its consequences.
Once women were considered sacred, now when a boy meets a girl for marriage proposal he asks if she is a 'virgin', and more shocking to say that some are not...
To many freedom means to do whatever they want. 'Its my life what's it to you if I ruin it. you are not my father?'

FunnyGirl of Bollywood

I was watching "Funny Girl" of Barbara Streisand after a long time and I found that Hindi Producers can easily adapt the story for an extravagant production. We have a lot of female talent in Bollywood. I think the competition between the girls is so fierce that it is making them better actresses. I was thinking who is the 'Funny Girl' of bollywood I got two names in my mind Kareena who made a success with her comedy character in 'Kabhi kushi kabhi gum', then again priyanka is a bubble girl whose eyes can really speak

Who do you think makes a better 'Funny Girl'?

Nice drive on the NICE road

We went for a long drive on the NICE road in Bangalore. It was such a beautiful drive. The heavy vehicles went slow and we were fast(well...as fast as my over cautious husband can drive). the wind was whizzing past me.My hair got all tangled up. But we had a great time until we saw the board 'CAUTION LEOPARD CROSSING' well that is an absolutely alarming sign to find while you are driving on a two wheeler. here are some of the pics I wanna share with you....

In this story from the Brahmavaivarta Purana,Indra defeats Vṛtrá and releases the waters. Elevated to the rank of King of the gods, Indra orders the heavenly craftsman, Vishvakarma, to build him a grand palace. Full of pride, Indra continues to demand more and more improvements for the palace. At last, exhausted, Vishvakarma asks Brahma the Creator for help. Brahma in turn appeals to Vishnu the Supreme Being.
Vishnu visits Indra's palace in the form of a Brahmin boy; Indra welcomes him in. Vishnu praises Indra's palace, casually adding that no former Indra had succeeded in building such a palace. At first, Indra is amused by the Brahmin boy's claim to know of former Indras. But the amusement turns to horror as the boy tells about Indra's ancestors, about the great cycles of creation and destruction, and even about the infinite number of worlds scattered through the void, each with its own Indra. The boy claims to have seen them all. During the boy's speech, a procession of ants had entered the hall. The boy saw the ants and laughed. Finally humbled, Indra asks the boy why he laughed. The boy reveals that the ants are all former Indras.
Another visitor enters the hall. He is Shiva, in the form of a hermit. On his chest lies a circular cluster of hairs, intact at the circumference but with a gap in the middle. Shiva reveals that each of these chest hairs corresponds to the life of one Indra. Each time a hair falls, one Indra dies and another replaces him.
No longer interested in wealth and honor, Indra rewards Vishvakarma and releases him from any further work on the palace. Indra himself decides to leave his life of luxury to become a hermit and seek wisdom. Horrified, Indra's wife Shuchi asks the priest Brihaspati to change her husband's mind. He teaches Indra to see the virtues of both the spiritual life and the worldly life. Thus, at the end of the story, Indra learns how to pursue wisdom while still fulfilling his kingly duties.

Legends of Kartikeya

, in the forest of Śankha, was born Shad́ánana or Kártikeya, Mars with six faces. Here he wished or formed the resolution of going to the mountains of Crauncha, Germany, part of Poland, &c. to rest and recreate himself after his fatigues in the wars of the gods with the giants. There, in the skirts of the mountains p. 170 of Crauncha, he flung his sword; the very same which Attila, in the fifth century, asserted he had found under a clod of earth. It was placed in his tomb, where it is probably to be found. The legend here alluded to is told at length in the Vámana Puráńa. Mahishásura, flying from the battle, in which Táraka had been slain by Kártikeya, took refuge in a cave in the Krauncha mountain. A dispute arising between Kártikeya and Indra, as to their respective prowess, they determined to decide the question by circumambulating the mountain; the palm to be given to him who should first go round it. Disagreeing about the result, they appealed to the mountain, who untruly decided in favour of Indra. Kártikeya, to punish his injustice, hurled his lance at the mountain Krauncha, and pierced at once it and the demon Mahisha. Another division of Krauncha is ascribed to Paraśuráma. Megha Dúta, Krauncha is also sometimes considered to be the name of an Asura, killed by Kártikeya; but this is perhaps some misapprehension of the Pauráńic legend by the grammarians, springing out of the synonymes of Kártikeya, Kraunchári, Kraunchadárańa, &c., implying the foe or destroyer of Krauncha, occurring in the Amara, and other Koshas.