Sunday, May 3, 2009

Melkote

Melkote (High or Superior Fort) is located in Mandya district of Karnataka state in India. It is in a hilly area comprising of the oldest rock formations on the earth's crust. It is a a religious and a pilgrim center for Hindus, and is home for various famous temples and ponds. The origin of the town is lost in antiquity, but it rose to cultural and religious importance in the 12th century AD when the great philosopher and teacher, Sri Ramanuja lived in the town for twelve years.



Some of the well known sites here are:

Other places of interest nearby are:
How to Reach There

This place is located interior to the Bangalore - Mysore 2 lane highway in the right side while going towards Mysore. Just after crossing Mandya one can see a road on the right and directions are available on highway. It is 37kms from this highway and from Bangalore it is around 130kms. The roads are very good and people do drive here at good speed.


50 comments:

humanobserver said...

Great designs

Anonymous said...

this is one of my fav places too. a very good picnic spot from blore.

btw ... i guess 1777m is too tall (its taller than kumaraparvatha). what i heard is abt 900m

Anya said...

Waaaaaaaaw
Its BEAUTIFUL :)
Those pillars are amazing !!
That temple at the top of the hill,
I like that...but 500 steps pfff..

Thanks for the road description,
Now I now how to drive and with very high speed hahaha.....
but its a little to far for me ;)

Baron's Life said...

Very nice blog, have just added you to my travel blogs..Yes, India is such a beautiful place..and your pictures and stories make it even more beautiful. Thanks for sharing this us

Indrani said...

I crossed Mandya today, lack of time couldn't make the visit there. Now after reading this I am regretting. Next time I will be there.

Dsole said...

Hi there, Rajesh,
You owe a beautiful and interesting blog, I need to updated my template and add some of these amazing blogs to my link index, and also I have to come back and take some time in reading your posts. I've never been to India, but I know some people who made this travel, I'll send them your link, I'm sure they'll like your place a lot!
Thanks for your visit to my little blog, see you pretty soon! :)

Dsole said...

Hi there, Rajesh,
You owe a beautiful and interesting blog, I need to updated my template and add some of these amazing blogs to my link index, and also I have to come back and take some time in reading your posts. I've never been to India, but I know some people who made this travel, I'll send them your link, I'm sure they'll like your place a lot!
Thanks for your visit to my little blog, see you pretty soon! :)

Sarah said...

Hi Rajesh,
I loved reading all about this amazing temple. The carving is beautiful. What a lovely place to be able to visit.

Zenihuddin said...

It's good to know that India have a lot of Beauty designed temple too

Reader Wil said...

You make an excellent guide! I always like the way these old buidings are decorated. The carvings on the pillars are real pieces of art! Thanks for this interesting post! Thanks also for the visit and comment. Have a great week!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Sandeep: The height of 1177mtr from mean sea level is as per the tourist info board on the spot. It will be around 900mts from the ground.

Deepak: Thank You.

Baraon: Thanks for all the appreciation and for adding in the list.

Sandy: Thank You.

Indrani: On this spot we need minimum 4 to 6 hrs time for good time.

Dsole: Thanks for all the appreciation and for adding in the list.

Sarah: The carvings of the temple are really beautiful.

Zen: There are many more temples with excellent and unique architecture.

Wil: Thanks for all the appreciation and the carvings on each pillar are unique.

Ice said...

Impressive introductions. Did you go there on your own or did you have a guide? You seem to know quite a bit about the structures and the legends too.

Ailurophile said...

What beautiful temples - lovely country!

koand said...

interesujący opis , przeczytałem z ciekawością , pozdrawiam , Andrzej .

joo said...

What an amazing place! The pillars are beautiful!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for the lovely words.

Anya: From mid-way till where it can be reached by vehicle, it is 250 steps. It was not tiring.

Shiang: I had been there on my own. But usually I visit places after hearing from friends and a bit research. Localities of the place give lot of info about the place.

Ailurophile: Thanks. welcome to my blog. Looking forward to more visits.

Andrez: Thanks. welcome to my blog. Looking forward to more visits.

Joo: It is nice place worth the visit.

Anonymous said...

one of dream is to visit your country. you have fantastic history and structures. and your presentation is so great. thanks

Krishanu said...

I loved the pics, though I nearly fell asleep while reading the post.
I like the underlying patriotism of your blog.

Keep Blogging!

magiceye said...

wow! thank you for sharing

indicaspecies said...

The pillars of the Cheluvanarayanaswamy Temple are exquisite!

Bradley Hsi said...

My son in law is from India. Your blog let me know India a little more. Thanks for sharing and your visit to our blog.

AJEYA RAO said...

Loved my trip here last Jan...Riding to nearby villages is fun too.

Dave Coulter said...

What a beautiful temple....nice shots!

Elisabeth's bright side said...

Beautiful architecture and the details are amazing. Very interesting post. Have a nice week.

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Vaggelis: Thanks for all the appreciation and welcome to India.

Krishanu: Thanks. Did I managed to do that?

magiceye: Thank You.

Celine: Yes, the pillar are really exquisite.

Grace & Bradley: Thanks. I am glad that my blog was of some help.

Ajeya: Thanks, there are plenty of sites in that area.

blogger: Thanks and welcome to my blog. I will certainly check your blog.

Dave: Thanks for all the appreciation.

Elisabeth: Thanks for all the appreciation.

Bengbeng said...

the pictures speak for themselves. the aura of history n culture about the place

Gauri Gharpure said...

very detailed, informative post as usual. and breathtaking carvings...

Gon said...

Hello Rajesh..Thank you for the comment!!You do have nice posts too..Very factual and historical..Let us keep on promoting the beauty of the world!!!Life is wonderful!!!Have a nice day my friend.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

It is just awsome the culture of your country India. There is a series going now in SBS which shows the culture and where it came from etc. It makes everything look small and insignificant when one sees the work and thought which have been bestowed to your ancient lands. The arts play such a significant role in every aspect of life. The colours, the food etc. Just absolutely wonderful. Great posts.

Sucharita Sarkar said...

Lovely carvings on the pillars, and your photographs bring them out beautifully.

Patti said...

Hi~ Thanks for the blog visit! Yours is very interesting- you have beautiful photos and excellent info. Stop by and visit again~

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Bengbeng: Yes, pictures speak for themselves.

Gauri: Thanks for the appreciation.

Gon: Thank you.

Titania: Yes, if one can preserve the culture, heritage of ancient land, then it is a achievement.

Suchitra: Yes, the carvings are stunning.

Patti: Thanks, I will drop in again.

Netra said...

Thanks for your comments on my blog!
You are one true traveller! :) Amazing blog!

Cheers,
Netra

Viji said...

What a lovely temple and the architecture??!!

I especially like the carvings of Ganesha on the piller:-)

Onkar said...

Good pictures and excellent narration.

Carver said...

What a beautiful temple. You did a great job photographing the details and an interesting post.

Paulina said...

excellent images of india
http://krikis.aminus3.com

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Netra: Thanks for the kind words

Viji: There are many such pillars.

Onkar: Thank you.

Carvr: Thanks for the appreciation.

Silence: Thank you.

Jim said...

Beautiful temple. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Debra Trean said...

awesome history and images...enjoyed reading and seeing thank you for posting

Nikon said...

Beautiful blog!
Thanks for your visit!

Unknown said...

I'll say that again.. I can only envy you.
The place, the people.. Your photos let me "imagine" I'm really there. Superb.

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for your visit and comment ! Have a great weekend!

Unknown said...

Nice set of shots!

ARUNA said...

wow i miss visiting temples:((

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

passion frames: Thanks for the appreciation.

J Bar: Thank you.

Nikon: Thank You.

Ilan: Thanks for the appreciation. I am happy my snaps are helping you to imagine the place.

John: Thank you.

Wil: Thank You.

Aruna: Thanks, it is a beautiful place.

Hitesh Rawat said...

i not a religious person.....and don't like visiting temples....especially the one's wher they discriminated between different religions.........

but wat i have always liked about all the temples is the architecture......Indian architectures were the best in the world......all these temples go way long back in time......and the architecture is so smart even in accordance to the current architecture techniques

Rajesh said...

Hitesh: Thanks. Very true, architecture of these temples is marvelous.

Deguide said...

I believe the entire area needs sprucing up to make it a lovely tourist destination....i liked Puliogre or tamrind rice which is sold in nook and corner of Melkote

P.Sermuga Pandian said...

Dear friend
Last Saturday I went to Melkote with my office staff .The trip was arranged by Kannada sangh in my office in Bangalore.I enjoyed the trip. Your photograph on Melkote is fine and kindled memory on my visit. please carry on writing your travel experiences.
With regards
Sermuga pandian