Thursday, May 21, 2009

Melkote Ponds

Melkote (High or Superior Fort) is located in Mandya district of Karnataka state in India. It is famous for various temples and ponds. Some of the well known ponds of this place are:

Kalyani Pond

The large pond which is part of the Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple is called Kalyani. It is also known by the name Pushkaranani. The beauty of the pond is enhanced by its location, the steps that lead to the water and the Mandaps built around the pond.



The view of the pond from Yoganarsimhaswamy temple.



The mandapa around the pond.



There are carvings at the bottom of the pillars of mandapa. One such carving on the pillar is shown above.

Akka Tangi Kola

There are a pair of ponds behind the Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple known as Akka Tangi Kola In English it translates to sister ponds. The water of Akka kola is sour-salty and that of Tangi kola is sweet. Only the sweet water is used for the temples.

53 comments:

Unknown said...

I hear of people visiting India solely making their rounds of the lovely temples. Great carvings!
Thanks for popping by to visit my blog.

Vamsee Modugula said...

Never heard of this place. Thanks for posting and letting us know of these lesser-known places.

Carrizo said...

The last photo is interesting to me.

The word "Akka" is also in Finnish and it means "woman".

Regards.

SandyCarlson said...

How very interesting. These are treasures.

joo said...

Another great post, thanks for showing places like this:)

Phivos Nicolaides said...

So lovely place. Incretable beautiful!

George said...

The difference in the sister ponds is interesting. Your first photo is fantastic. Thanks for taking us to Kalyani Pond.

Anya said...

I like the Yoganarsimhaswamy temple
its a BEAUTY :)
Sister ponds sounds funny... LOL
Thanks for the great shots (@^.^@)

Ken Conger Photography said...

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoyed our blog immensely. You take great pics. The Jal Mahal Palace is my fav. Blue Skies.

Sucharita Sarkar said...

Ponds are so calm and serene. Liked your post a lot, as i miss ponds here in Mumbai.

Kelly said...

...so beautiful that the temple is built around the pond. The carvings in the pillars are exquisite.

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

BBC: Thanks for the appreciation and invitation.

Keats The Sunshine Girl: Thanks, there are lovely temples, palaces, forts, national park across India. And above all loving people. Welcome to India.

Vamsee: Thanks, there are many more such beautiful places around this area.

Sandy: Thanks for the appreciation.

Carizzo: Thanks, it is nice to learn similarities in 2 different languages.

Joo: Thanks for the appreciation.

Phivos: Thanks for the appreciation.

George: Thanks. Yes the difference in the taste of water which are adjacent to each other is a real surprise.

Anya: Thanks for the appreciation.

Onkar said...

Beautiful pictures and nice description.

Bengbeng said...

thanks for sharing abt the cultural heritage. lovely places

Unknown said...

Very interesting post!

Dave Coulter said...

Simply amazing...have a nice weekend!

Anonymous said...

These temple towns with the large man-made lakes in the middle remind me of my childhood days in Karnataka. Nice pics!

Reader Wil said...

Your blog is indeed very interesting, and I am glad you came to my blog, because I always answer all comments and visit all those bloggers who visit me.

Regina said...

Great post. Shots are perfect. Thanks for sharing.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Rajesh: What a wonderful look at the pond and its neat surroundings.

Jyoti Ajay said...

interesting post.

Pietro Brosio said...

What wonderful places!
Very interesting post.
Have a good weekend!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Sucharita: Thanks. Yes it is very calm place. This entire town is very calm and serene.

Ken: Thanks for the appreciation.

Onkar: Thanks for the appreciation.

Kelly: Thanks for the appreciation. Yes, the 360 degree view from the top is great.

Bengbeng: Thanks for the appreciation.

John: Thanks for the appreciation.

GMG said...

Hi Rajesh! Sorry for the absence, but I’ve been busy with my parents’ health; almost 180 years to care... ;)

Wonderful post! The view of the pond is awesome!

Blogtrotter is paying homage to Vilnius as European Capital of Culture 2009. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Dave: Thanks for the appreciation.

Shantanu: Thanks, good to know you have spend your childhood around this place. Access to your blog is not available.

Regina: Thanks for the appreciation.

Pietro: Thanks for the appreciation.

Wil: Thanks, I enjoy reading your blog. It is a nice blog.

fishing guy: Thanks for the appreciation. Yes, the 360 degree view from the top is great.

jyoyiAjay: Thanks

Elisabeth's bright side said...

Thanks for showing. I just love the details of the carvings!

Connie T. said...

That is a beautiful place.

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Rajesh:)

I am thrilled to read your post along with the excellent photos.

We have a very rich culture and you are doing a wonderful work of taking us to various places of importance and showing it to us. Without your initiative we would have missed to see many lovely place and appreciate what a beautiful country India is.

Many thanks for sharing:)
Joseph

Delwyn said...

Hi Rajesh,

thank you for being a splendid tour guide...
I loved the figurines on the pillar. What does the top fellow have in his/her hands?

Happy days

koand said...

Świetne zdjęcia i ciekawy opis , pozdrawiam , Andrzej :)

humanobserver said...

stunning design :)

Baron's Life said...

excellent treasure ponds and carvings on the pillars...

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

What gorgeous photos! I just came across your blog today and wanted to tell you that I think it is great!

Anonymous said...

the view of the pond is great!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

GMG: Thanks, missed your encouraging words for some time. I hope your parents are fine. Take care.

Elisabeth: Thanks for the appreciation.

Connie: Thank You.

Andrew: Thanks for the appreciation.

Joseph: Thanks for the appreciation. It is nice to see that you also share my thoughts.

Baron: Thanks for the appreciation.

Delwyn: Thanks for the appreciation. The person on top is holding man-made fan.

Deepak: Thanks for the appreciation.

Joshi: Thanks, it is the favorite view for lot of tourists to take snaps.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

Thanks for stopping by my site. I love India and enjoyed my time there. I was fortunate to get to Varanasi, Judapur, Udapur, Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala and more. Just a fabulous trip and so many photo opportunities.

magiceye said...

so very interesting...

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Brilliant pictures, especially the first...... truly grand!

Kcalpesh said...

I've heard of this place for the first time. Looks beautiful and interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Maddy said...

Thanks for this photo tour

Viji said...

Wonderful structures, Rajesh:-)!

I will be moving to Blore next month....Hope to do some "Karnataka Darshan"!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Diane: Thanks for the appreciation. Welcome to my blog and looking forward to more visits.

magiceye: Thanks

Julie: Thanks, good to see you covering so many places in India.

Rakesh: Thanks for the appreciation.

Kcalpesh: Thanks, there are many more such beautiful places around this area.

Maddy: Thanks

Viji: Thanks, welcome to B'lore. You can see plenty of place in & around B'lore.

Country Girl said...

I was going to ask you what a mandapa was but you answered my question.
Beautiful images.

Cris said...

What a view! Interesting stories shared here, your country has so much to teach us.

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

Hello Rajesh. You have beautiful picture here of these wonderful buildings. Thanks for visiting my blog. :)

Maggie May said...

This is lovely for me to be able to see a completely different culture.
Great photos and a very informative and interesting blog.
Thank you for visiting me.

SM said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for such lovely words.

Country Girl: Thanks for the appreciation.

Maggie: Thanks for the appreciation. Do come again to see more.

Joan: Thanks for the appreciation.

Girl Tornado said...

Such a beautiful and serene place. The pond is truly magnificent and would indeed be very special to visit!

Barbara Martin said...

Interesting post about your 'ponds'.

Unseen India Tours said...

Hi Rajesh!! These are some really amazing photographs !! I loved them..Great..Also I Have Started My Own Website And Would Like You To Have A Look At It.I Would Love To Have Your Comments On That Also.Unseen Rajasthan

Field of View said...

Fantastic !

Rajesh said...

Oz Girl: Thanks, it is a calm and beautiful place. Good place to relax.

Barbara: Thank you.

Unseen Rajasthan: Thanks for the appreciation.

Field of View: Thank You.