Welcoming the lifting of the weekend curfew, a ride to Melukote through interior routes was like a breath of fresh air. The window of no curfew weekends is dubious, so to make the most of it, we hit the roads on Saturday morning. The Magadi Road from the exit of (not so) NICE expressway is under construction, and the morning traffic was at its peak. Swerving through the congestion, we stopped at Magadi for a sumptuous breakfast of Tatte Idli from a restaurant that seemed to be the favourite among locals as well as out-of-towners. The horizon is filled with coconut groves and areca nut plantations with interspersed eucalyptus groves.
The Prasanna Somewshwara Temple at Magadi has a history of over 500 years. Spotting a small board on the road – thanks to the bad roads, I was at turtle speed – I was curious to explore the temple, which dates back to 1500. Recently restored, the temple is well maintained and has a relaxing aura. A few boards in Kannada talk about the prominence of the place. A pillared hall with a platform in the middle is thought to be a seat of judgement. It is where a council is held to pass a verdict. The pillars are intricately carved. At one corner stands an ornate stone pillar, which produces a note when touched with a metal object.
According to the narrative found at the temple, it was erected by Kempegowda. He is believed to be the founder of Bangalore – widely accepted by historians. Another article – a piece of news to be precise - I read on Deccan Herald about the restoration of the temple says it was built by the grandson of Kempegowda, named Kempegowad III or Kempaveerappa Gowda. Various stories about the history of the place perplexed me, and all I did was just enjoy the architecture and soak in the aura of the site.
Little ahead from here is the Tippagondanahalli Reservoir, a name familiar to me since my childhood. It is a man-made lake created by constructing a dam. This is the source of drinking water meant for the populace of Bangalore. The next place on the route was Huliyurdurga, one of the Navadurgas around Bangalore. It is also known as the toughest one to trek, and only a handful of people have ventured into giving it a try. We have covered Nandidurga, Savandurga, Kabbaladurga, Devarayanadurga, Huttridurga and Channarayanadurga. Huliyurdurga, Bhairavadurga and Makalidurga are yet to be accomplished.
We continued onwards and took a deviation towards Sugganahalli from the Maddur-Kunigal Road right outside the town of Huliyurdurga. These roads are covered with ragi harvest spread across the tarmac. Winding around them and occasional herds of cattle and goats, deviating at many places due to road works. Devalapura welcomed us to take a breather. A cup of mocha roused the sleepy senses. Moving along, Nagamangala and later it was smooth roads until Melukote.
The Melukote part of the blog is from our June 2018 trip.
Melukote - a quaint temple town
One of the many water bodies of Melukote
It was after the famous Srivaishnava saint Ramanujacharya lived here for 14 years it became a prominent center of the Srivaishnavas. Unlike other temple towns, Melukote isn't merely temples and commercial shops around them. This (temple) town has a character of its own. The streets of Melukote will not only take you back in time but also resonates the Agrahara in the novel "Samskara" by U.R. Ananthamurthy. Many grandmothers will be sitting at the veranda of their century old houses and chit-chatting with their friends.
Kalyani
Melukote is 150 km from Bangalore if you go via Mandya and a 180 via Nelamangala- Kunigal - Bellur Cross - Nagamangala- Melukote. We took the second option and deviated at Bellur Cross, towards Nagamangala onto 150A - this road leads to Srirangapatna - and turn right a little after Chinya. This route is better, except that there is some road widening work in between. Watch out for speed breakers and the construction debris. Otherwise, the traffic is less and it took a little more than 3hrs to cover 180km from Electronic City to Melukote.
Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple is a pleasant and well-maintained temple. It is mainly stone and wood. The main image is made of Brass. The architecture is stunning with fine details on all the pillars. There are few smaller shrines inside the temple complex. Walking inside this old temple complex is a calming experience. Yoga Narasimha Swamy temple on the hill can be reached by foot in 30min. The steps are very wide and placed apart. You will find many women selling butter milk and peanuts en-route. 3 glasses of butter milk cost just Rs.10. At the time of writing, there was lot of renovation work going on at this temple and surroundings.
Akka-Tangi Kola (Sisters' pond)
The largest pond -Kalyani- is breathtaking for its gigantic size and the architecture around, made famous by movies. There are many other ponds around this small town, most popular are the twin ponds known as -Akka Tangi kola (sisters' pond). Dhanushkoti is a short ride from the town and view from here is spectacular. On the way to Dhanushkoti is Raya Gopura, again made famous by movie populace.
The view from Danushkoti
The house where PuTiNa - famous Kannada Poet, one among the well-known trio of Navodaya poets (D.R.Bendre and Kuvempu being the other two) - was born, can be visited before 5pm, unfortunately we couldn't make it in time. There is a Government Sanskrit College and also a Sanskrit Research Centre close to Raya Gopura.
The popular Raya Gopura
The best way to explore a town and appreciate what it has to offer is to walk around and eat from local places. Puliyogare (Tamarind Rice) stalls are ubiquitous and you will start thinking puliyogare was invented at Melukote. So, it is a must-do activity at Melukote to taste Puliyogare. Subbanna Mess is the most recommended for a sumptuous meal of white rice, Puliyogare- Rs 80 per meal.
Accommodation is limited; a few places we came across:
1) Ahobila Yatri Nivas- TeL: 087227 16468/ 070260 92345. dbl Rs 650.
2) Yadhugiri Guest House- 7676767638. Available on hourly basis.
3) Bangur Yatri Nivas- Rs.400 with common toilet, dbl, A/C Rs.1000. Walk-in.
We stayed at Ahobila, the housekeeping is very poor. Carry your own toiletries and bed sheets.
Road Conditions:
NICE road is being revamped with concrete road. The stretch after Kanakapura exit is a single lane almost until PES exit. After the Magadi exit, roads are filled with potholes and road widening work is in progress, hence our progress snail-like. After Magadi town towards Huliyurdurga roads are wide, except a few places where work remains ‘Work-In-Porgress-Go-Slow’. Couple of deviations due to road widening on Huliyurdurga and Devalapura stretch. Nagamangala to deviation towards Melukote is butter-smooth with occasional curves. The last mile to the temple town has good roads.