Hill station of ‘God’s own country’

Hill station of ‘God’s Own Country’ Munnar, is at an altitude of 1600 meters in Idukki district of Kerala.  A small hill station but amazing place to unwind during the week end!

It is pronounced “Moon-aar”, meaning ‘three rivers’ in Malayalam. The rivers; Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala meet in the centre of the town.

As it was raining when I visited Munnar we could see many mountain streams and waterfalls with fresh rain water. Valleys and thousands of acres of tea plants are wonderful sight in Munnar. Since it was raining the tea plantation was looking absolute green and it was such a wonderful change of scene for me from the concrete jungle where I live – Mumbai.  

It seems Munnar was the favoured summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Unending expanse of tea plantations, green valleys and mountains along with exotic species of flora and fauna is a speciality of Munnar.  

The aroma of spice scented cool air is something one should experience in Munnar. It is a great feeling!!

Munnar has a plant called Kurinji plant which blossoms only once in twelve years. The next season for this is 2018 as it blossomed in 2006 last! 

Once a sleepy little hamlet Munnar was discovered by Scottish planters and later on developed by British. They developed it into one of southern India’s most important centres for the cultivation of tea and spices. Munnarweb.com claims that Munnar is sometimes called the ‘Switzerland of India’ although I do not subscribe to this claim!

The Eravikulam National Park

This is a sanctuary for the endangered mountain goat of South India, the Nilgiri Tahr. An interesting place, Eravikulam National Park is situated 15 KMs from Munar. Winding roads through the tea garden is a wonderful experience while going to Eravikulam National park. UNESCO World Heritage Committee is considering selecting this park as a World Heritage Site!

The special attraction at this place – The Nilgiri Tahrs (Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Bovidae, Genus: Nilgiritragus). Called in Tamil language as Varaiaadu, this animal is a fantastic rock climber! Incidentally this is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

Visitors are taken to Rajamalai by forest department vehicles. Private vehicles are not allowed here. The National Park is usually closed at the time of calving of Nilgiri Tahr which is usually during the early months of every year.

Rajamalai is the tourism zone of the National Park and there is a very informative interpretation centre at Rajamalai.

Belur temple.

Chennakesava temple, Belur. Chenna , in Kannada , means beautiful and Keshwara means Vishnu. Built by Hoysala king himself to celebrate an important military victory in 1117 AD, even today it is a structure of beauty in black! Yes, the entire temple is built of black granite! (Although this temple is popularly called as Chennakesava temple, the sign board outside the temple calls it Keshwara temple. Does the Archeological society of India not want to acknowledge the beauty of Vishnu inside?) 

The warrior, killing a horned lion with his sword, is the emblem of the Hoysala dynasty, symbolizing their courage and strength. 

The outside walls of the main temple are lavishly decorated by various sculptures. There is hardly any space which is not occupied by a sculpture. Even the ceiling inside the temple is fully sculptured.

A statue of Mohini, a female incarnation of Vishnu.

This temple has many pillars but no two pillars  look alike. Each pillar is carved in a different style and it is a marvel to see so many pillars under one roof!

Pillars of Chennakesava temple.

Chennakesava temple at Belur, Karnataka, India,is probably be the greatest gift of Hoysala rulers to humanity. The entire temple is built using black granite and it stands today as a testimony to their ability to imagine on a grand scale and execute the plan so meticulously! They say it was built by Hoysala king himself to celebrate an important military victory in 1117 AD. I do not know any other temple in India which is so lavishly decorated.

This temple has many pillars but no two pillars look alike. Each pillar is carved in a different style and it is a marvel to see so many pillars under one roof! Not only are the pillars carved so beautifully but also the ceiling.

Temple of a different kind!

When I was returning from Belur to Hassan, we passed a village called Doddagaddavalli. My driver suggested that I visit this place as it has a very ancient temple, which is declared by Archeological Survey of India as a protected monument.  I agreed and what I saw there was something very unusual!

I understand that this temple was built during the year 1114 AD by a rich merchant called Kallahana Rahuta.

The temple is called Lakshmidevi Ttemple.

The entrance to the temple.

This temple has four shrines facing each other sharing a common hall within the temple. In other words there is one shrine each facing the cardinal directions, a very peculiar composition for a Hindu temple. The shrines contain both Vaishnava and Shaiva deities, namely Lakshmi, Siva, Vishnu and Kali.

An old priest who was there (who speaks broken English) told me that this temple was built on the ‘principle of balancing forces’. All I understood was that Kali (an aggressive God) is facing Vishnu who is cool and Shiva who is again considered hot is facing Lakshmi who is always cool.

One can see two skeletons standing as guardians on either side of the Kali shrine. (Please see the image carefully - you can notice a chopped head in the left hand and the machete in the right hand).

Extraordinary carvings can be seen in the ceiling of the temple.

Since the temple is far away from civilization, it has not been subjected to vandalism and hence is in reasonably good condition.

This is certainly a temple of a different kind!

A monolith of gigantic proportions!

Shravanabelagola is a place worth visiting while at Mysore or at Hassan. The monolith of Baghwan Bahubali or Gommateshwara is the main attraction here. There are two stony hills called Chandragiri and Indragiri. Chandragiri is famous for the Chandragupta Basadi built by the Gangas. Indragiri is famous for the Chavendaraya Basadi and the gigantic statue of Gommateshwara. He was a King who renounced his kingdom and spent the rest of his life meditating till he attained Nirvana. The statue was carved out of the black granite of the hill and is a picture of serenity and composure.

The town has been a prominent centre for Jain art, architecture, religion and culture for over two millennia.

As you approach the village of Sravanabelagula from Hassan, you will get the first glimpse of Gommateshwara standing tall over the temple like this:

The steps leading to the temple on top of Chandragiri Hills.

Once you are on top of the hill and outside the temple you can only see the face of Gommateshwara.

As you walk around the temple you can see his head from behind.

Once you are inside the temple, you can see this gigantic statue.  

His feet alone is 10 feet long! 

Look at the great symmetry! Flawless sculpture! The size? 58 feet high and 26 feet wide. Amazing talent, those sculptures were able to do this in such a gigantic proportion so many years back without any sophisticated instruments! 

A close up of Gommateshwara. He is quite good looking!