In Melkote there are two important temples. The Yoganarsimhaswamy Temple is on a small hillock.
People can climb the steps from the ground level which is approximately 500 steps to the top. If not they can go by their light motor vehicles till the half way almost nearer to the temple. Still from here there are approximately 250 steps to the top.
The temple is at the height of 1777m from the mean sea level and is a creation of Hoysala times with a beautiful image of seated Yoganarasimha with Yogapatta. A panoramic view of the surrounding vast area can be had from here. Thia is one of the 7 holy centers of Narsimha worship. A huge drum donated by Tipu Sultan and a bell donated by the Mysore Parakalamatha can be seen here.
The timings at the temple are, 9.00am to 1.00pm and 5.30 pm to 8.00 pm. During Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the timings will be from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm.
Nadankanan Zoo at Bhubaneswar is one of great zoo in India. There are various animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Black Swan.
A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Check other posts that will give you more details about this monument.
Midway through the Pavagadh Hill one can find ruins of a small temple by the side of a pond. This Lakulisa Temple is for Lakulisa founder of Pashupata Shaivism which was one of the oldest and prominent Shaivite sect. This area is part of the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park.
Today this 10th century A.D. ancient temple on the rocky hillsides lie in ruins. This dilapidated temple holds the iconography of Lord Shiva thought it houses Lakulisa within its walls.
Even though most of the upper half of the temple has fallen off the walls are still standing walls with intricate sculptures.
On the walls are fine sculptures on the external walls that give a glimpse of the original splendor. One can also see here the sculpture of Lakulisa.
All our trips are planned well in advance at least 3 months prior to the travel and all the necessary bookings are done. In the month of December 2014, I was not sure of vacation and could not do any arrangements.
Finally we decided on Goa but not sure of availability of accommodation as it is the month when tourists arrive in the state. After some frantic calls we could arrange stay at temple guest house.
On 23rd December we left Bangalore early morning by a car. As the roads were good we covered a distance of 550 Kms to reach Goa border within 7 hours. Our first stops in Goa for the day were Dudhsagar Falls and Tambi Surla Temple.
We proceed further and reached our temple accommodation in Ponda. Next day, we ventured on the tour of several temples in the area.
On the third day we we planned to tour the churches of Old Goa. But unfortunately at Basilica of Bom Jesus Church was too much crowded as people had gathered there to see the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier which was taken out and on display for the three days. But for my surprise I could see only Indians in the queue and there were no foreigners.
Finally next day we visited caves, beaches, forts, prehistoric Usgalimal rock engravings before returning back to Bangalore.
Best part of the trip is that we enjoyed the entire trip even though it was decided only 2 days prior to the actual travel. We touched upon all: temples, churches, beach, fort, prehistoric engravings, caves, sanctuary and water falls in a short span.
Sayaji Baug at Vadodara is one of the largest garden that spreads over 113 acres. This garden on the river Vishwamitri was built by Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III in the year 1879.
There are altogether three gates to the park and one of them is near Sayaji square. As one enters through this gate can see floral clock consisting of an hour, minute and seconds hand that move on the 20 ft diameter dial.
This beautiful place is rich with flora that includes more than 98 species of trees. The park has toy train and play area for the kids.
In this garden one can also see the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, the Sardar Patel Planetarium.
Another interesting area in the park is Sayaji Baug Zoo.
A glimpse of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this place.
The Alfred High School at Rajkot is also known as Mohandas Gandhi High School as Gandhiji completed his high school education in this school.
This is one of the oldest institution in India and it was opened during British rule in the year 1875.
The present school building were built for Kathiawar by the Nawab of Junagadh in memory of Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh. Constructed using stone masnory it has elements of Gothic Norman architecture.
The magnificent Shivansamudra Waterfalls cascades into Gaganachukki and Bharachukki falls both of them separated by a few kilometers.
The Kaveri river flowing over the cliffs splits into two separate steams. The western branch results in the twin waterfalls of Gaganachukki.
The lush greenery along with water falling down from a height over the cliff presents a picturesque scene that is very pleasing to the eyes. The place has a view point from where one can beautiful views of the falls.
Nadankanan Zoo at Bhubaneswar is one of great zoo in India. There are various animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Ibis.
These birds are in a artificial pond along with other water birds in the zoo.
A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this monument.
Ambaji Temple at Ambaji located on the Arasur hill of the Aravalli range is one of the oldest and most revered temples. The temple is one of the imotant among the 51 Shaktipeeths.
Currently the temple complex is under renovation and as per the plan the renovation of temple interiors has been completed with the beautiful carvings. The top of the main temple, at the height of 103 feet, has been replaced with kalash of single piece marble coated with Gold attached with the holy Trishul and Big Flag.
Now the temple is built with white marble and at present, the lower parts of the main tower is plated with Gold. When the Sun rays fall on the temple it does look magnificent.
Vadodara located on the banks of the Vishwamitri river. The present day city is an educational, industrial and commercial center as visualized by its late ruler, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III.
The city has lot of history as in the ancient times it was part of several kingdoms such as Gupta, Chalukya, Mughals and Gaekwad's of the Marathas. This can be seen even today as there are several heritage monuments across the city. The city progressed a lot during the time of Maratha rule with the accession of Maharaja Sayajirao III in 1875.
Places of interest that we have visited in the city are:
The near by places of interest that we visited are:
Adalaj is a small village which is very near to both Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. We visited this historic site from Ahmedabad during our tour of Gujarat state.
This must visit site is known for ancient Rudabai step-well that is a architectural marvel and we shall explore more of it soon.
Being away from the cities one can also spot a few common birds here.
A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this monument.
This is twenty-sixth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples are exceptionally carved.
The external wall and the tower of the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Bhadravati is beautifully carved. On the external wall in the middle layer there are various sculptures of Hindu deities. On the layer above one can see carvings that resemble small towers.
Similar tower like carvings of bigger size can also be seen on the Rajarani Temple at Bhubaneshwar. The minute carvings in this tower are beautiful and details are amazing.
At Jain Temple in Ranakpur the carvings in the temple ceilings are very unique and differ from every other ceiling in the temple. One of the smaller ceiling has carving of Ohm. It is impossible to count number of ohms carved into it. It is a beautiful carving one should not miss.
At A.S.I Museum in Shimoga there are several sculptures excavated from various locations in India. One such sculpture is that of Lord Vishnu belonging to the 10th century excavated from Ayanur in Karnataka state.
Sri Krishna Math at Udupi is one of the prominent place and is surrounded by many other temples. It was founded in the 13th century by the Vaishnavite saint Shri Madhwacharya one of the greatest saints, philosophers, and religious reformers of India.
It is here that he installed the idol of Lord Krishna that he found in the sea that was covered in sandalwood. Present temple has seen many renovations and has become very colorful.
Adjacent to the temple is sacred tank, where it is believed that the idol was immersed to rid it of all the excess sandalwood.
An interesting legend associated with the temple is that Kanakadasa an ardent devotee of the Lord in the 16th century was denied entry into the temple. He got a glimpse of the Lord through the back window of the temple and sang his praises. Impressed with his devotee, He turned. As a result even today the idol is facing the window with its back to the main entrance. And this window is now called Kanakanakindi.
In front of the temple there are beautiful wooden chariot.
