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.

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53 comments:

  1. Unknown10:43

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

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  2. Vamsee Modugula12:13

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

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  3. Carrizo14:31

    The last photo is interesting to me.

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

    Regards.

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  4. SandyCarlson14:50

    How very interesting. These are treasures.

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  5. joo16:13

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

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  6. Phivos Nicolaides17:22

    So lovely place. Incretable beautiful!

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  7. George17:51

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

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  8. Anya20:34

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

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  9. Ken Conger Photography00:48

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

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  10. Sucharita Sarkar02:06

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

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  11. Kelly07:23

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

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  12. Rajesh08:16

    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.

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  13. Onkar11:53

    Beautiful pictures and nice description.

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  14. Bengbeng12:15

    thanks for sharing abt the cultural heritage. lovely places

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  15. Unknown16:07

    Very interesting post!

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  16. Dave Coulter16:17

    Simply amazing...have a nice weekend!

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  17. Anonymous16:19

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

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  18. Reader Wil16:30

    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.

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  19. Regina 16:54

    Great post. Shots are perfect. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. This Is My Blog - fishing guy18:02

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

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  21. Jyoti Ajay20:58

    interesting post.

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  22. Pietro Brosio21:56

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

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  23. Rajesh23:18

    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.

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  24. GMG06:22

    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!

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  25. Rajesh10:32

    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

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  26. Elisabeth's bright side17:51

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

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  27. Connie T.22:56

    That is a beautiful place.

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  28. Joseph Pulikotil08:54

    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

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  29. Delwyn09:43

    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

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  30. koand12:25

    Świetne zdjęcia i ciekawy opis , pozdrawiam , Andrzej :)

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  31. humanobserver12:30

    stunning design :)

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  32. Baron's Life18:03

    excellent treasure ponds and carvings on the pillars...

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  33. (Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea18:23

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

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  34. Anonymous19:38

    the view of the pond is great!

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  35. Rajesh08:24

    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.

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  36. Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com10:08

    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.

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  37. magiceye10:38

    so very interesting...

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  38. Rakesh Vanamali11:54

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

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  39. Kcalpesh12:58

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

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  40. Maddy13:40

    Thanks for this photo tour

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  41. Viji14:35

    Wonderful structures, Rajesh:-)!

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

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  42. Rajesh16:08

    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.

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  43. Country Girl06:48

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

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  44. Cris06:51

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

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  45. SAPhotographs (Joan)11:16

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

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  46. Maggie May11:38

    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.

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  47. SM16:29

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  48. Rajesh21:52

    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.

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  49. Girl Tornado04:31

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

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  50. Barbara Martin09:57

    Interesting post about your 'ponds'.

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  51. Unseen India Tours02:04

    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

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  52. Field of View01:56

    Fantastic !

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  53. Rajesh08:49

    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.

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