Coorg Itinerary - The Historic mystical Omkareshwara Temple

Raja seat was completely packed and simultaneously dense fog made us to move to next scheduled destination which was divine omkareshwara temple. We found a parking place and started towards sanctum. 

This temple is believed to have mosque like architecture. Apparently the temple looks like primitive Hindu architecture and not influenced by other religion. 

The temple was surrounded by significant crowd predominantly tourists like us. Devotees are required to wear traditional attire to enter temple which was not strictly followed as per our observations. The temple hosts a large pushkarini (pond) facing the sanctum. That is attractive part here. Kids were excited after watching colorful fishes in the pond. Public entry to the pond is prohibited. The pond is completely fenced and the entrance gate is locked. Perhaps, the pond is used only by priests. Unsure if pilgrims are allowed to take dip during auspicious days.

Temple area was well illuminated giving it glittering look. Further away in parallel lies the elevated platform which has stairs at both ends. The ruler during the era was using the platform to witness the daily rituals of temple from distance reason being described further. The entry to elevated platform is restricted. The stairs leading to platform are filled with debris to curb human ascension. The Anjaneya temple garden is well maintained and beautiful. The primary omkareshwara temple has traditional and relic look owing to restricted renovation. The absence of renovation underscores the graveness of demon which arose from Brahman assassination. It is difficult to circumambulate around main shrine due to non-maintenance. The area was slippery too since it was monsoon season.  Omkareshwara temple is not renovated due to reasons cited in subsequent paragraphs.

Temple Timings

Omkareshwara temple construction dates 200yrs ago. There is mystical story behind temple construction as narrated by temple priest of Anjaneya Temple. At that time, Madikeri never existed and was surrounded by dense forests. Its only after British rule, the pristine forests were culled and coffee plantations mushroomed. The then ruler of the area had disagreement with Brahmin mantri and King killed Brahmin mantri. The killing of Brahmin is believed to be sin of highest order by Himdu texts. The death of brahmin resulted in brahma rakshasa torturing king in forest. To ward off sin, he made digbandhana to brahma rakshasa residence by installing shivalinga on top of brahma rakshasa location. King wasn't entering the temple rather sat on the platform constructed in front of temple to witness daily rituals. He was defeated by British on 1833.

Entry to elevated platform which is blocked

Over the time, area was developed and became a bigger town. MadiKeri gets its name by residing brahmins who were engaged in religious activities. Madikeri refers to - street of people who maintain cleanliness. Madi refers to cleanliness in general. Madikeri was surrounded by Brahmins initially but over the time they dispersed to other locations.

During renovation the main sanctum is never touched since Brahma rakshasa is believed to have 800yrs term and currently it is at 200. Touching sanctum means dismantling digbandhana of brahma rakshasa which may result in chaotic scenes as per archaka (temple priest). Even though age of Brahma Rakshasa is only 800yrs, nobody would dare to touch the sanctum as per him. There are always bickering, blithering and quarrels in the temple signifying the effects of Brahma rakshasa as per him. 

Only Anjaneya temple is renovated as of now. Anjaneya temple is located adjacent to the main shrine. This temple is isolated from omkareshwara temple. The Anjaneya temple is well renovated and depicts stark contrast to Omkareshwara temple. Ajaneya temple also hosts a wider well maintained lawn at its front.

Once done with darshan of Lord Omkareshwara and Lord Anjaneya, we headed towards lodge and concluded our first day itinerary. Except Raja-seat, other places were executed without hassle. The photography is restricted inside primary premises but exterior captures are liberal. I was too tired to capture exterior video and hence post is just pictorial.

Bengaluru Winter - Warm debris Averted shadows!

We are almost closing in on winter with Sun sliding to Makara Rashi. The transit of Sun to Makara Rashi astrologically signifies the shift of Sun trajectory towards North. Even though actual shift happens from December 22, in Hindu calendar, January 14/15 timeline where Sun transits to Makara Sankranthi is taken as reference point. From this period till next 6 months is consider auspicious for sacred ceremonies.

Before we wind up the winter, here are some winter vibes from Bengaluru Streets. Even though I personally not fond of street dogs, sometimes their demeanor is photogenic. I capture occasionally when I feel interested provided they maintain same pose. Most of the times, they either shy away or start barking. Here are pictures when the dogs were steady or lazy or were unconcerned during my capture.

The eternal real estate activity in Bengaluru city is boon to these street dogs. While the sound of construction, concrete dust , never ending blockage of roads pose high inconvenience to public, the dogs enjoy the stay over the rubbles and debris. It keeps them warm during winter. The direct sunshine over these debris is an added advantage to doze off for a while! The dappled areas are usually occupied by these canines!

You see them seated on warm debris averting shadows during winter. Its reverse during summer. They love the concrete base much since it keeps them warm. On other hand, they love moistened gravel during summer to escape from heat.

These puppies were warming up under peeping sun. They posed for my shoot as they saw me hoping that I would feed them :-) They were disappointed but not lost hope may be. Authorities spend hefty tax payers money to sterilize street dogs. All of them are swallowed by corrupt officials mostly. Nothing ever happens. Poor puppies looked strangled by cold winds.

This guy was napping on flag post in mid day under the sun. As soon as I started taking pictures, he woke up and yawned. Perhaps this is the season where Sun is in high demand!

One more guy from fuel station guarding his territory under Sun. Upon seeing an offender, he swiftly ran probably for short brawl. Fuel station employees generally feed these dogs. At nights, we humans too get stuck amidst the street dog brawls. Out of control, they frighten us or even bite us. Being non-vaccinated, their bites are highly harmful to humans.

While I love capturing their expressions, I am not big fan of street dogs nor pet animals. Street dogs I have strong disliking because they threaten kids and humans even in broad daylight for no reason. Even walking along residential streets during bright day causes anxiety mainly due to street dogs. I have strong disliking towards street dog lovers as well since they just support the dogs but do not possess sentience to their menace. The adamant street dog lovers do not even budge to proposed solutions as well. They just want general public to peacefully embrace the menace. Woke is everywhere!

Coorg Itinerary — Obeisance to Goddess Kaveri

The next stop as scheduled was towards Talakaveri temple. Talakaveri is birth place of river Kaveri and is located atop the hill nearby Bhagamandala. The ascension to the hill starts from Bhagamandala with entry fee. While driving on the flyover at Bhagamandala, we were blessed by magnificent view of Bhagandeshwara temple. Since there was less time, we started to Talakaveri first.

As usual, maps took us via Mangaluru road and later deviation towards Bhagamandala road. It was mix of bumpy and smooth drive with intermittent showers. Even though distance was 40kms, the curvy roads makes it impossible to cover the distance in less than 90mins. It was around 3:30PM when we reached Bhagamandala. The Sun was bright, clouds were scattered. Doesn’t give any sign of monsoon season. The only positive vibe was lush greenery and roaring rivers. The fly-over towards Talakaveri is complete and operational. Now the vehicles need not wait for floods to recede to cross the main road.

We reached the entry point to Talakaveri where authorities charge Rs.50/- for LMVs. The hill climb towards Talakaveri is about 8kms resembling ghat section hike. The road is good condition and contains multiple view points. 

After climb of 20mins, we reached Talakaveri with fog covered all around. The crowd was minimal and area was serene. There was silence all around.

Talakaveri temple consists of Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha. One platform down, lies the sanctum of Goddess Kaveri where she originates. The pond in front of sanctum is pristine with river water. The depth of pond is clearly visible due to its purity. Pilgrims are not allowed to step into the pond I believe. Only during Kaveri Teerthodbhava, pilgrims are allowed looks like. A drum is kept near the sanctum where pilgrims can fill Kaveri water to containers. The kaveri flows down to shivalinga nearby before making her way to further paths.

Tranquil stay of 30 mins, we left to Bhagamandala temple with final prayers. 

On the way, we took some scenic photographs of Bhagamandala overlooking from ghats. The Bhagandeshwara temple is clearly visible from the viewpoint. Also look at the scintillating landscape from break monsoon light. Absolutely gorgeous nature!

Here is short video from visit.

The view from Kunjarugiri Temple

Kunjarugiri temple is well-known by Udupi people primarily because of Goddess Durga residing here. The other reason is due to the wondrous views from summit. Especially the Mattu beach can be seen quite clearly during times of clean atmosphere. With good AQI, we can clearly behold gentle waves moving to shore from here. The other view is of Lord Parashuram temple situated in the tiny hillock adjacent to Kunjarugiri hill. The Parashurama hill is shorter than Kunarugiri and hence vision is downslope. We visited the temple during Navaratri time to take blessings of Goddess Durga. Also we were blessed by colorful Sunset views from Summit. The beach was not visible partly due to sundown and obstructed light. Hope you enjoy!