Road Map
Bangalore -> Mandya (~105km)
-> Right turn after Mandya city ( Land Mark Railway crossing)-> Melukote
(~42km).
Starting Early morning from Bangalore(Bike-Ride) Reaching Melukote
around 12noon. The Journey was little tiring but as we had taken pit stops
regularly it was tolerable! Lush green beauty between mandya and melukote
was staggering, with paddy fields, Raggi Flowers, masses of sugarcane
fields and Traditional way of Jaggery making units. Made us to forget the
technology, Laptops, I-pads, smartphones, smart company as well.
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| Panaroma shoot from top of hill |
Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple
There are steps that lead to the
top. Steep and quite a climb, but should not take too long. You should finish
it under 20-300 minutes even if you are pretty unfit. If in case, you plan to
visit in the evening and spend more time at the top Do take a torch with you.
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| Yoga Narasimha Temple |
Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple
The Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple is
built on the foothills of Yadugiri and is situated about 145 kms from Bangalore
and about 50 kms from Mysore. The temple is dedicated to Thirunarayana or
Cheluva Narayana. On the top of the hill there is a temple for Yoga Narasimha.
There is also a beautiful stepped tank at the base of the hill. It believed
that the famous Srivaishnava Saint Ramanujacharya resided here for about 12
years in the 12th Century, thus making it a prominent place
for Srivaishnava Sect and also home to the Academy of Sanskrit Research.
Vairamudi Brahmostava is an annual
festival which attracts more than 3-4 lakh devotees of Lord Cheluva Narayana.
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| Sculpure on pillars of temple |
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| View of YogaNarasimha Fron RayaGopura |
Kalyani or Pushkarani
The beautiful pond
near the Cheluva-narayana swamy temple. It has an unrivaled appeal to it. Early
morning spent here can be very peaceful.
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| Pushkarani |
Raya
Gopura
Neighboring folks say that it was built in a night. Unfinished
but interesting structure of large and heavy stone blocks. Local guy hanging
out there mentioned a few movies shot in the area – Padayappa, Guru, Shivaji,
etc.
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| RayaGopura |
Akka Thangi Kola
Literally translates to elder and
younger sister ponds. Located next to each other, just below the Raya Gopura.
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| D Boyzz in front of RayaGopura |
Last but not the least Melkote is
incomplete without discussing Puliyogare (tamarind rice) and the delicious
Sakkare pongal (sweet rice dish). My not-so-exhaustive research tells that Subbanna
mess is the best place to eat both of them along with their special Mango
chutney.
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| Paddy Fields |
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Traditional Jaggery Making
“The
world is a book, Those who do not travel read only a page”
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