An Evening in Tranquebar

Tanquebar Danish Fort

Author: Aarabhi

Photographer: Vasistha

“Shoot that one!” I cried.

“It just came out of the hole!”

“There are holes all over the place. OMG! I’m standing on one!” exclaimed Vashu and jumped away from the spot.

I could say we were shooting rabbits on a Danish estate, the location seemed foreign enough. But, I’d only be fooling you. We were in Tharangambadi on the Tamil Nadu coast where the late 17^th century Danish fort still stands tall.

Crab on the beach

We were shooting pictures of the multitude of crabs that had dug their homes in the beach beside the fort.  The tiny sand-colored crabs were swarming all over the beach and the fallen brick walls on the waterfront. They kept popping out of tiny holes in the sand and scaring the bejesus out of my dear husband, who kept trying and failing to get good shots of the tricky suckers.

Fallen brick walls

We had wandered down to the beach after spending nearly an hour of our time ogling the lovely fort and the small museum inside it. Built of mellow olive colored bricks, the fort stands three stories tall and is a testament to the geometric functionality of the people of Denmark.

Dungeons and funny cor ner bastions

Small, dark, dungeon like spaces are barely visible through arches in the main courtyard at the ground level, while funny shaped corner bastions peak over the rooflines, looking for all the world like the wizard caps straight out of a Harry Potter flick.

The cool dimly lit reception rooms inside the fort overlook the sea and now serve as the museum.

The upper courtyard at the first level wraps around the fort and holds the ancient canons placed strategically at frequent intervals. 

A lovely place for an evening’s outing.

Canon

Android Rooting- Many problems, one solution!

Author: Vasistha ( As told to Aarabhi)

Photographer: Google

Many problems, One solution- Rooting!

My niece Sameeksha ambled into our room and complained to me: "Vashu mama! This game is stuck; I can't go to the next level!" She then handed over my mobile to me and walked away in a huff.

Warning messages for "Low Memory" were blinking on the screen.  The internal memory was running lower than 20MB leaving me cursing my supposedly high-end LG android phone.

This memory problem kept bugging me and eating away at my thoughts. The only way I had of increasing the internal memory was to uninstall my favorite games and apps or clear the caches of most of the apps; hence losing all settings and stored passwords.

 "What's the point in having an android if it can't autopilot itself?" asked my friend. To answer his question I started digging. Apart from the temporary files mentioned above, what else was eating up my memory? How could I analyze the memory usage of the different sections of my phone? LG had also installed some apps like Bollywood and Newspaper which were utterly unnecessary. I couldn’t uninstall them nor move them to the SD card! How to get out of this vicious circle became the question of the day.

This was where the Android OS's specialty came into light. This OS is designed in such a way that we can do a lot of things and customize the phone according to our interests or lifestyle. To do most things on the android phone and to overcome problems of the memory sort, the only criteria required is to ROOT the phone. Of course, once the phone is rooted its warranty expires; but rooting will not harm the phone in any way unless you screw it up due to lack of knowledge.

 Just googling "how to root my phone" will get you about 43,500,000 results (0.17 seconds), many of which are good blogs detailing the process. Once the phone is rooted, what all can we do? The following are a few things that are possible:

1. Uninstall unwanted inbuilt APPs in the phone memory.

2. If you don't want to remove the app but move it to SD card instead, then, just uninstall the APP and download the APP from market. This time either it will directly be installed on SD card memory or you can move it to SD memory once installed using another APP called APP2SD (available in market)

3. You can take a backup of your preinstalled APPs or any APP installed on your phone. This is very useful when your phone crashes, or when you format the memory. You can even reinstall the APPs without downloading from the market again and again. This can be done by copying these APPs to your PC. This will also allow you to share the APPs across devices (to your Tablet or another smart device).

To take backup of system APPs (like bluetoothclient.apk, webbowser.apk, keyboard.apk etc), you'll have to use APPs like Titanium backup, Appsbackup etc. You have to give root permission for these APPs before you take backup.

Changing LCD density using rooting

4. If you want to see which portion of your phone is taking up how much memory, use APPs like "Storage Analyser" , it requires root permision to see entire phone and SD card memory usage in depth. If you are an APP developer or Inventor, you would be building APPS of your own. When you move them to your phone, a copy of the .apk file is moved to /data/local/tmp. To view this path you need root permisiion. Normal file browser will not show this path and files inside this folder. But Storage Analyser shows the exact path enabling you to delete or add files according to your preference.

A Glimpse of Pandavapura

Author: Aarabhi

Photographer: Vasistha

Doorway and Mantapam- Gopalaswamy Temple, Tonnur

My stories always begin with Vasistha, my husband. He is the spearhead, instigator and planner of any vacation/ outing in our family. This trip was no exception.

“Pandvapura” taluk in Mandya district of Karnataka is well known for its centuries old Srivaishnavite temples. We visited three of them, namely, the Gopalaswamy temple, the Nambhinarayanaswamy temple and the Yoga Narasimhaswamy temple.

Lush greenery of Pandavapura

Spread around the huge “Tonnur lake”, these temples nestle amidst the lush paddy fields characteristic of Mandya. The temples of Gopalaswamy and Nambhinarayanaswamy lie on either side of the main road leading into the village of Tonnur. 

The temple of Gopalaswamy, said to have been founded by none other than the most virtuous of the Pandava brothers, Dharmaraja; is built in the Chola style of architecture.

The state bird of Karnataka, the Indian Roller, sighted on the way 

The main diety, Sri Krishna is in his “Vishwa Ropa Darshana” pose. Standing eight feet tall and five feet wide, he has shanku (conch) in his left hand and chakra (wheel) in his right; also, one hand gives us the “Abhaya Hastha” while the other is fisted on his thigh. This is an unusual depiction of Sri Krishna and is not commonly seen in any temple. Sri Krishna is flanked by his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Krishna and Bhoodevi idols are full-bodied in the way of the Cholas as opposed to the nymph like, proportioned Hoysala style idol of Sridevi which seems to be a later addition.

Gopalaswamy temple

The temple courtyard

Another unique feature is the “Utsava Murthy”. Sri Krishna as Venugopala is in his "Tribhangi Nrithya" pose. Holding a flute to his lips with both hands, he has his left foot in the front (not the usual right foot). His chin, elbow and left toe are clearly aligned in a straight line, one below the other (Tribhangi Nrithya, i.e. thrice-bent pose).

After a peaceful darshan of this quiet temple (there were only two more devotees apart from our troupe), we crossed the road to the Nambhinarayanaswamy temple. Surprisingly, this temple has outer walls and pillars in the older chola style, while the sanctum sanctorum (Garbha Gruha) has intricately carved pillars of the newer Hoysala style.

Nambhinarayanaswamy temple

Standing ten feet tall, Narayanaswamy has 2 maces in his front hands. He also holds, shanku and chakra. Both temples have huge walled-in, well-paved courtyards. But the condition of the Lakshmi temple inside the Gopalaswamy temple courtyard is pitiful. All sorts of construction materials and implements are dumped inside the temple with garish wall of concrete built in the middle. Truly a sad state of a beautiful place.

Pitiful state of Lakshmi temple

The last temple, Yoga Narasimhaswamy is the most renowned of the three. This temple was restored from its dilapated state by the Sri Ramanujacharya. The main diety Yoganarasimha is small and compact- barely three feet tall. But, this does not distract us from its beauty or serenity.

Legend goes that this idol was founded by the demon King, Hiranyakashipu’s son, King Prahalada in the Kritha Yuga. The temple had turned to ruins by the time Jain king Bittideva reigned. The king’s daughter was possessed by an evil spirit and none could get rid of it. When Sri Ramanujacharya’s SriPada Theertham (Holy water obtained by washing his feet) was sprinkled on her, she was cured. In gratitude and influenced by the acharya’s teachings, the king converted to Srivaishnavism and took the name “Vishnuvardhana”. The King then rebuilt the temples around the lake. Angered by their king’s conversion, 1000 Jain scholars marched to the banks of the Tonnur lake; to the temple of Yoga Narasimhaswamy, where Sri Ramanujacharya was residing. The acharya managed to answer a thousand spiritual and philosophical quizzes by all the Jain scholars simultaneously. Since he is known as the incarnation of “Adishesha”, he was said to possess a thousand tongues like the divine serpent.

Sri Ramanuja’s idol in his “Adishesha” avatar is housed in a small space inside the temple. Snake hoods arch up behind his idol which itself has a face featured in a markedly snake-like way with narrow nose and mouth and deeply arching eyebrows over slanting eyes.

When the temple priest holds up a lamp to the idol’s face and to the snake markings on the belly, the resemblance to Adishesha is quite clearly apparent. The hands of the idol are in the yoga mudra and the feet are unusually clearly visible. An ancient drum fabled to be more than thousand years old is housed in a glass case beside the idol.

Frolicking in the huge Tonnur lake

After finishing all the darshans, it was time for some fun and games. So, we drove up to the Tonnur lake and splashed around in the water. Deep, vast and extremely windy; the lake is a popular picnic spot. The stairs around the lake were filled with tourists in bathing suits and frolicking children. We had a light lunch from our lunch boxes and drove back to Bangalore, to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

Art and Heritage at Venkatappa Art Gallery and Government Museum

Author: Aarabhi
Photographer: Vasistha

Government Museum

We are a travel crazy family, with my husband, Vasista as the Kapitan. Any travel news in the media first catches his eye. So, when The Hindu published an article about the Government Museum in Bangalore, his curiosity was piqued and he asked me if I would like to go there. Starting any trip very early in the day is our modus operandi. This time though, it wasn’t an option for us. This museum and the attached Venkatappa art gallery open at 10 am and close at 5. So, there we were at the stroke of 10 staring up at the colonial style building with cornices and Corinthian columns. Painted a bright red color, it stood out amongst its ultramodern neighbors like UB city.

The ultramodern UB City in contrast to the colonial Museum

The entry fee for the museum is a measly four rupees per head, but the plaque beside the ticket counter reads: “No tickets will be issued if there is a power failure”. This is because the tickets are electronic, like BMTC tickets. But, refusing people entry just because there is no power seems to be a typical apathetic behavior of a governmental institution. 

The museum houses an eclectic collection of megalithic pottery, jewelry, tools, weapons, and sculpture mostly found in and around Karnataka. There are also, paintings of different styles such as Mysore, Persian, Mughalai and Deccan.

A beautiful four spouted pot and painted clay beads from tombs long lost are noteworthy. Few artifacts of the Vijayanagar Empire such as ivory dice, and eerily symmetrical faces of mythological characters are also on display.

Vijayanagar Carvings

Sculpture

The famous Halmidi inscription circa 450 AD, renowned to be the oldest Kannada inscription is also housed here.

The first floor of the museum is a treat as it houses good paintings. Amazingly well preserved wooden idols of Narasimha, Hanuman and other gods can also be seen here. The most striking display is a series of Mysore style paintings of Ramayana. These painstakingly worked panels cover almost half a wall on this floor.


The annex building of the museum displays rock sculpture of gods and goddesses. The name boards of these idols are queer. The museum’s archeologists seem to have been in great doubt about their discoveries. Seeming to guess the identity of the idol they have excavated, the nameplate reads: “Goddess: 11^th century BC: Durga?” The next ones are even better: “Vaishnavi? Parvathi? Ganesh?” I felt like asking the gatekeeper: “What’s with these question marks?”

One more example of governmental apathy is the section displaying sculptures of the Vijayanagar Empire which are carelessly exposed to the elements. They are displayed in an open courtyard without even a canopy for rain protection!

Sculptures open to the elements!

In front of the Gallery

The adjoining Venkatappa art gallery is a feast for the eyes. There aren’t adjectives in this language which can describe what a person can experience from the art of Venkatappa.

Marble panels depicting mythological scenes are wonderfully realistic. The figures are embossed in a raised pattern on the marble and show the delineation and sinuous lines of the human form in loving detail. The sheer range of fine-art forms in which Venkatappa was proficient is mind boggling. He played musical instruments like the Veena, sculpted marble, painted in water colors and oils, designed and executed the interiors of Mysore Maharaja’s palace, the list is endless.

He was one of the best of his contemporaries in all the fields he touched. The displays in this gallery are living proof of his genius and a visit to view and enjoy them in an unforgettably uplifting experience. His water color depictions of Ooty in its many avatars: ‘during the monsoons’, ‘in the fall’, ‘moonrise on a hill’ are wonderful renditions that bring alive the ethereal quality of the Nilgiris.

A huge contrast to this beauty is the first floor of the gallery which houses modern art by many famous artists, including M F Hussain. My husband and I have never been big fans of this art form. The display put up here, at the gallery, just cemented our opinions. Maybe we lack the understanding ability of this particular art, but come on? A splash of 12 different colors on a canvas is called "Art"? My six year old niece can do that! It was a complete emotional letdown. Venkatappa's art enlightens, makes you think and brings you joy. Whereas this art gets a reaction of: "Huh! What's that thing on the wall?"

Author with a Nandi

Sikkim - Small, but Beautiful!

Mt. Kanchenjunga

It seemed blisteringly hot at Bangalore this March which made us long for rain or snow. Since Mohammed cannot come to the mountain, the mountain should go to Mohammed or in our case we should go to the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim. Escaping the heat (both of the temperature and of our jobs) Vasistha and I fled to Gangtok, Sikkim for a weeklong vacation.  Having never seen BIAL, the airport was a pleasant experience for us. Throughout the process of check-in and security check I’d been aware of a continuous chirping noise. Assuming it was some new age music from the speakers, I just ignored it. Imagine my surprise when a fat sparrow landed on my table at the café and started pecking away at the crumbs. This bird, supposedly extinct in Bangalore is found in abundance at the airport!

View from our Aeroplane

Our flight took us via Delhi to Bagdogra airport at Siliguri, West Bengal. It was sweltering at Siliguri after our long hours spent in AC which led us to wonder if we had landed from the frying pan of Bangalore to the fire here! Our driver, Pravesh picked us up and off we went to Gangtok. The weather continued to be dry and hot for more than half of the four hour drive to our hotel.

Teesta and Rangeet

The road followed the curves of the meandering rivers, Teesta and Rangeet and wound through valleys and mountains. Soon enough, we encountered cooler climate and greener hillsides heralding our entry into Sikkim, locally known as Nye-mae-el or paradise.  The sheer variety in shades of green of the foliage around us reminded us of Charmudi Ghat of the Nilgiris.

Arriving at the very homely Rhenock House, we were checked in by the warm and friendly staff. The hotel had a very Colonial feel to it.  It was barely 6pm and surprisingly night had already fallen.  Our room was on the third and highest floor. The twinkling lights spread on the steep slopes of the city made for a gorgeous view from our window.

View from our room- The twinkling lights of Gangtok outside our window

Music in the lobby

Eight days might seem too long for a state as small as Sikkim, but not when it holds so many places to see and things to do.

Gangtok Flower Exhibition

Our first day was earmarked for some local sightseeing. The flower exhibition at the heart of the capital Gangtok has a beautiful collection of orchids. The amazing colours and textures of these and the other flowers are a sight for sore eyes. The peaceful temples of Hanumantok and Ganeshtok just a few kilometers from the city give a great view of Mount Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak of the world. On a clear day (as it was for us, fortunately!) one can clearly make out the jagged edges of the snow-covered peak glowing in the morning sun. It seems just within an arm’s reach, but is as unattainable for a simple mortal as the moon.

Dressing up as a Sikkimese and Snow covered peaks

Trail through the Zoo

The sprawling Himalayan Zoological Park is home to some rare species of Pheasants, the Red Panda, the Snow Leopard and to a wide range of animals, of which only a select few are caged. The steep winding slopes of the park loop through the fir trees of the hillside and need a trekker’s physique for proper exploration.

Panther

  Sikkim is also known for its adventure sports. We decided to go Paragliding and signed up at one of the roadside shops. Weighing us up (literally and figuratively), the owner quoted the price to be Rs.2350/- per person for a 10 minute flight. We were driven up a cliff for 15 minutes followed by a trek on foot, up an exceedingly steep trail to the top for a further quarter hour. Huffing and puffing, I barely had time to swallow a few mouthfuls of water before my pilot securely strapped us both to a seat harness and tied the glider to his back. He also gave me a long pole attached to a video camera and casually instructed me to run off the cliff! Needless to say, I did not share his blithe disregard for my life. I experienced a moment of muscle freezing, heart stopping fear, and then Shangri-La! The wind had caught me at the moment of fall and was like a living entity. I was gliding at an astounding speed, buffeted by the stiff breeze which pushed and pulled and kept trying to sweep me off to distant lands. If not for the pilot behind me, I’d have reached who knows where?

Ready for take-off!

The landing is another experience that I will recount to my grandkids.  I was moving slowly in a lull in the wind. Suddenly, a strong gust caught me and I felt like I was at the top of a giant roller coaster, poised to fall to my doom. In spite of the sudden loops and twirls my pilot succeeded in letting me down gently. The adrenaline rush was a constant companion, but it was exhilarating.

Pravesh and Vashu at Ban Jhakri Falls with the solar panels :)

The hydel project of Banzhakri falls was our last stop for the day. Very scenic and well maintained, it is a governmental initiative for green energy conservation & generation. The whole park is powered by solar energy. Life-like statues of Banzhakri (Shaman of the local tribes) are placed at strategic places throughout this energy park. There is also a small museum where you can play quizzes about energy conservation and some models of green energy products.

All in all, it was a very successful first day of our little trip.

Kolar: ಕೊಲಾರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಸುತ್ತು

ಲೇಕಖಿ :          ರಜನಿ.ಏನ್.ಎಸ್ 

ಫೋಟೋಗ್ರಫಿ :  ವಸಿಷ್ಠ 

ಕೊಲಾರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಸುತ್ತು

ರಾತ್ರಿಯ ಕತ್ತಲು ಕರಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಬೆಳ್ಳ ಬೆಳಕು ಮೂಡುತ್ತಲಿತ್ತು. ನಸುಕಿನ ಹಿತವಾದ ತಂಗಾಳಿ ಕಾರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಳಿತ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಮೈಮನವನ್ನು ಅರಳಿಸುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ಸೀಳುತ್ತ ನಮ್ಮ ವಾಹನ ಕೋಲಾರದ ಕಡೆ ಸಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

ಕಳೆದ ಬಾರಿ ನಾವು ಕೋಲಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಅನೇಕ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳನ್ನು ಸಮಯದ ಪರಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಲಾಗದೆ ಹಿಂತಿರುಗಿದ್ವಿ. ಈಗ ಆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಸಮಿಲು ಹೊರಟಿದ್ವಿ. 

ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಕೋಲಾರದ ಸುಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧ ಸ್ಥಳವಾದ ಅಂತರಗಂಗೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟ್ವಿ. ಮುಂಜಾನೆ ೮ ಘಂಟೆಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ನಾವು ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ವಿ. ಅಂತರಗಂಗೆಯನ್ನು ದಕ್ಷಿಣದ ಕಾಶಿ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಿಂದ ಸುಮಾರು ೬೫ ಕಿ.ಮೀದೂರದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. 

ಸುಮಾರು ನೂರು ಮೆಟ್ಟಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಹತ್ತಬೇಕು. ಅಕ್ಕಪಕ್ಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೀಲಗಿರಿಯ ಅನೇಕ ಗಿಡಗಳನ್ನು ಬೆಳಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದರೆ ನೀಲಗಿರಿಯ ವೃಕ್ಷಗಳನ್ನು ಅಷ್ಟೊಂದುಬೆಳಸಿರುವುದು ಸರಿಯಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ನಮಗೆ ಅನಿಸಿತು. ಆ ಮರಗಳು ೧೦೦ ಮೈಲಿಗಳಿನಿಂದಲೂ ನೀರನ್ನು ಸೆಳೆದು ಕುಡಿಯುವಿದರಿಂದ ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರಿನ ಜ್ವಲಂತ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಯಾಗಬಹುದು. ಅಂತರಗಂಗೆ ಬೆಟ್ಟವನ್ನು ಹಿಂದೆ ಶತಶೃಂಗ ಪರ್ವತ ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಲಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ವಿಪರೀತ ಕೋತಿಗಳಿವೆ. ಆದರೆ ಯಾರಿಗೂ ತೊಂದರೆ ಕೊಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಏನಾದರೂ ತಿಂಡಿಯನ್ನು ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತವೆ.

ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಶಿಖರವು ಹಾವಿನ ಆಕಾರದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಬಸವನ ಬಾಯಿಂದ ಸಿಹಿಯಾದ ನೀರು ಒಸರುತ್ತದೆ. ಒಳಗೆ ಮೂರು ಗರ್ಭಗುಡಿಗಳಿವೆ. ಗಣಪ ಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲೇ ಸುಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ್ಯರನ್ನು ಕೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಶಿ ವಿಶ್ವನಾಥನ ಲಿಂಗವಿದೆ. ಅದರ ಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಗರ್ಭಗುಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶಾಲಾಕ್ಷಿ ನಿಂತು ದರ್ಶನ ನೀಡಿದ್ದಾಳೆ. ಹೊರಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಲಾಗಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಲಿಂಗಗಳಿವೆ.

ನಾವು ದೇವರನ್ನು ದರ್ಶಿಸಿ ಪ್ರಸಾದ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತು ಕುಳಿತು ಆ ಸ್ಥಳದ್ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಸವಿದು ಮುಂದೆ ಕೋಲಾರಮ್ಮನ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದತ್ತ ಸಾಗಿದ್ವಿ. ಕೋಲಾರಮ್ಮನ ದೇವಳವು ಬಹಳ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನವಾದ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ. ಸುಮಾರು ೧೮೦೦ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಇತಿಹಾಸವಿರುವ ದೇವಳ. ರಾಜರಾಜ ಚೋಳನೆಂಬ ಚೋಳರಸ ಕಟ್ಟಿಸಿದ್ದನೆಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ದೇವರ ಗುಡಿಯ ಎಡ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ಮೂರ್ತಿ ಕೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಕೋಲಾರಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಗ್ರಾಮ ದೇವತೆ ಶಲ್ತಿರೂಪಿಣಿ. ಅವಳನ್ನು ನೇರವಾಗಿ ನೋಡಬಾರದೆಂದು ಮೊದಲು ಕನ್ನಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ತಾಯಿಯನ್ನು ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ತದನಂತ ಆ ತಾಯಿಯ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಉಗ್ರವೇ ಎನ್ನಬಹುದಾದ ಮೂರ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸಬಹುದು.

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ದೇವಳದ ಮುಂಬಾಗದಲ್ಲೇ ಏತ್ತರವಾದ ಕೆತ್ತನೆಯಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದ ಗೋಡೆಗಳು ಬಾಗಿಲುಗಳು ಇವೆ. ದ್ವಾರ ಮಂಟಪಗಳಿವೆ. ಮುಂದೆ ವಿಶಾಲವಾದ ಪ್ರಾಂಗಣವಿದೆ. ಭವ್ಯವಾದ ಮುಖಮಂಟಪವಿದೆ. ದೊಡ್ಡ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕಂಬಗಳು ದ್ರಾವಿಡ ಹಾಗೂ ಗಂಗರಸರ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆತ್ತಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿವೆ. 



ಗೋಡೆಯಮೇಲೆ ಯುದ್ಧ ಮಾಡುವ ಚಿತ್ರಣವನ್ನು ಸೊಗಸಾಗಿ ಕೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಒಳಗೆ ನಡೆದರೆ ಅಲ್ಲೊಂದು ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಪ್ರಾಕಾರ. ಗುಡಿಯ ಒಳಗೆ ನಡೆದು ಒಳಗೆ ಹೋದರೆ ಸಪ್ತ ಮಾತೃಕೆಯರ ಮೂರ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಬಹಳ ದೊಡ್ಡದಾಗಿ ಕೆತ್ತಿರುವುದನ್ನು ನಾವು ನೋಡಬಹುದು.

ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಾವು ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಪ್ರಾಚೀನ ದೇವಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದ್ವಿ. ಅದೇ ಸೋಮೇಶ್ವರನ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ. ಈ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನವು ಚೋಳರಸರ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಟ್ಟಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು ವಿಜಯರಸರ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿಅವರದೇ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪುನರೋದ್ಧಾರಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ ಕೋಲಾರದ ಹೃದಯ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದ ಮುಖಧ್ವಾರದ ಎತ್ತರವಾಗಿ ಸುಂದರ ಕೆತ್ತನೆಗಳಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿ ಆಕರ್ಷಣೀಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ದ್ವಾರಗಳ ಅಕ್ಕಪಕ್ಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಂಟಪಗಳಿವೆ. ವಸಂತಪಂಟಪವು ಸುಂದರವಾದ ವಿಜಯರಸರ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಸ್ತಾರವಾದ ಕಂಬಗಳಿಂದ ಕೆತ್ತಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ಗೋಡೆ ಬರಹಗಳಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದೆ. ಕಲ್ಯಾಣಮಂಟಪವು ಸುಂದರವಾಗಿದೆ. ತುಲಾಭಾರ ಮಂಟಪವಿ ಈ ದೇವಳದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟವಾಗಿದೆ. ಮುಖ್ಯ ದೇವರು ಸೋಮೇಶ್ವರ ಲಿಂಗದಾಕರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ಸುಂದರವಾದ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಮನದಣಿಯ ನೋಡಿ ಹೃನ್ಮನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಲಿವಿನ ಚಿತ್ತಾರ ಬಿಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ಮಾಲೂರಿನತ್ತ ಸಾಗಿದೆವು. ಮಾಲೂರು ಕೋಲಾರದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಸ್ಥಳ ಆ ಊರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ತಿರುಪತಿಯೆಂದು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುವ ಪುಣ್ಯದೇಗುಲವಿದೆ.

ದೇಗುಲ ವಿಸ್ತಾರವಾಗಿದೆ. ಸರಳವಾಗಿದೆ. ಭಕ್ತಾದಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯಗಳಿವೆ. ವಿಸ್ತಾರವಾದ ಪ್ರಾಕಾರವಿದೆ. ಪೂರ್ವ ಹಾಗೂ ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಧ್ವಾರಗಳಿವೆ. ಪೂರ್ವಧ್ವಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದು ಶ್ರೀ ಭೂ ನೀಳಾಸಮೇತನಾಗಿ ನಿಂತಿರುವ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಕಣ್ಮನ ಸೆಳೆಯುವ ಆಕರ್ಷಕ ಸುಂದರಮೂರ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ಧನ್ಯರಾದೆವು. ಶ್ರೀ ಭೂ ದೇವಿಯರ ನಗೆಮೊಗದ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯ ಚಿತ್ತಾಪಹಾರಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಭವ್ಯತೆಯು ನಯನಮನೋಹರವಾಗಿದೆ. ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯನ್ನು ಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬಿಕೊಂಡು ಪ್ರಸಾದ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿ ಆಚೆ ಬಂದಾಗ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನಸ್ಸ್ಸು ಆನಂದಪರವಶವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆ ಮಂಗಳಕರನ ಸನ್ನಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತು ಕುಳಿತು ತದನಂತರ ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಅನತಿದೂರದಲೇ (೧೦  ೧೫ ಕಿಮೀ) ಇದ್ದ ಕಲ್ಕುಂಟೆ ಎಂಬ ಪುಣ್ಯಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊರಟೆವು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀರಂಗನಾಥ ೫ ಹೆಡೆ ಶೇಷನ ಮೇಲೆ ಮಗ್ಗಲಾಗಿ ಮಲಗಿ ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನೂ ಕೈಬೀಸಿ ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ ಎಂಬಂತಿದೆ. ಸಾಲಿಗ್ರಾಮ ಶಿಲೆಯಿಂದ ನಿರ್ಮಿತವಾಗಿರುವ ಮೂರುನಾಮವನ್ನು ಧರಿಸಿ ಯೋಗನಿದ್ರೆಯ ರಮಣೀಯ ಭಂಗಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಲಗಿ ನಸುನಗೆ ಬೀರುತ್ತಿರುವಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಭಕ್ತರನ್ನು ಚುಂಬಕದಂತೆ ಸೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.

ಬಲ ಪಾರ್ಶ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಂಡಾಳ್ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ಒಡವೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ಕಮಲದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತು ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ನಗೆ ಬೀರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೆ ಎಡ ಪಾರ್ಶ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಂದಾವರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತು ಕಿರು ನಗೆಯ ಚೆಲ್ವಿನ ಮೋಡಿ ಮಾಡುವಂತೆ ಕಂಗೊಳಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಳೆ ಮಹಾಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀದೇವಿ. ಅಂಗಳದ ಮಂಟಪದ ಮುಂದೆ ಆಳ್ವಾರರುಗಳ ಸಾನಿಧ್ಯವಿದೆ. ಶ್ರೀವೈಷ್ಣವ ಆಚಾರ್ಯರಾದ ಭಗವದ್ರಾಮಾನುಜರ ಭವ್ಯ ಚಿತ್ರವು ಎಲ್ಲರ ಚಿತ್ತಭಿತ್ತಿಗೆ ತಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ.
ಪ್ರಶಾಂತವಾದ ರಮಣೀಯ ರಂಗನಾಥನ ರ್ಮ್ಯ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಸಾನಿಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತು ವಿಶ್ರಮಿಸಿ ತಂದಿದ್ದ ಭೋಜನವನ್ನು ಭುಂಜಿಸಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಏಳುವ ಮನಸಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ ಎದ್ದೆವು. ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಸ್ಥಳದ ಆಕರ್ಷಣೆಯೂ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಆಗ ಕಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾದ್ದರಿಂದ. ಆಗ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾರಿನ ಪಯಣದ ದಿಕ್ಕು ಬದಲಿಸಿತು. ನಾವೀಗ ಕನಕಪುರ ಸಮೀಪದ ಕಲ್ಲಹಳ್ಳಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನನ್ನು ದರ್ಶಿಸಲು ಧಾವಿಸಿದೆವು. ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನದ ಸುಮಾರು ನಾಲ್ಕರ ಸಮಯ. ಸಂಜೆಯ ಇಳಿಸೂರ್ಯನ ಹೊಂಗಿರಣಗಳು ನಿಸರ್ಗದ ಮೇಲೆ ಮೋಡಿಮಾಡಿದ್ದವು. ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಸಿರಿಸೌಂದರ್ಯದ ರಮ್ಯತೆ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಮನವನ್ನು ಮುದಗೊಳಿಸಿತ್ತು.

ಆಗ ಥಟ್ಟನೆ ಒಂದು ಜಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದಾಗ ನನ್ನ ಮಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸೊಸೆ ಒಳಗೆ ಕಿರುಚಿದರು. ಕಾರಿನ ದಿಕ್ಕು ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಲು. ಕಾರಣವಿಷ್ಟೆ. ಮಾನವ ನಿರ್ಮಿತ ಪಿರಮಿಡ್‌ವ್ಯಾಲೀ ಎಂಬ ಸ್ಥಳವನ್ನು ನೋಡಲೆಂದೇ ಆಗಿತ್ತು. ಈಜಿಪ್ಟಿನ ಪಿರಾಮಿಡ್‌ನ ಆಕಾರದಲ್ಲೇ ಅತಿ ಭವ್ಯವಾದ ಎತ್ತರವಾದ ಧ್ಯಾನಮಂದಿರವನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬ್ರಹ್ಮರ್ಷಿ ಪತ್ರೀಜಿ ಎಂಬ ಮಹನೀಯರೇ ಇದರ ನಿರ್ಮಾತೃ. ಇದೊಂದು ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಕೇಂದ್ರ. ಸುತ್ತಲಿನ ಸುಂದರವಾದ ನಿಸರ್ಗದ ಪರಿಸರದಿಂದ ಬೆಳಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ನೀವು ಅವಶ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಸೊಬಗಿನ ಸವಿಯನ್ನೂ ಧ್ಯಾನದ ಮೌನವನ್ನೂ ಅನುಭವಿಸಬಹುದು. ಓದಬಯಸುವವರಿಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯದ ಲಭ್ಯವಿದೆ. ತಿನ್ನಲುಣ್ಣಲು ಸೌಲಭ್ಯವಿದೆ. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಯಾಂತ್ರಿಕತೆಯ ಬೇಸರವನ್ನು ನೀಗಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬಯಸುವವರು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ಆರಾಮವಾಗಿ ಕಳೆಯಬಹುದು. ರಾತ್ರಿ ತಂಗಲೂ ಸಹ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿದೆ.

ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಯಣ ಕಲ್ಲಹಳ್ಳಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ಬಳಿ ಸಾಗಿತು. ಅದಾಗಲೇ ಇಳಿಗೆಂಪು ಕಳೆದು ಕತ್ತಲೆಯ ಬೆಸುಗೆಯಾಗಿತ್ತು. ೮೦೦ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಳೆಯ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನ ದೇಗುಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ದರ್ಶನ ಪಡೆದೆವು. ಅಭಯಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಸುಂದರಮೂರ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಕಣ್ಮನ ತುಂಬಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಪ್ರಸಾದ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿ ಮನೆಯತ್ತ ನಡೆದಾಗ ಕಡುಕತ್ತಲಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಚಂದ್ರೋದಯವಾಗತೊಡಗಿತ್ತು.
ಮುಂಜಾನೆಯಿಂದ ಮುಸ್ಸಂಜೆಯವರೆಗಿನ ಪಯಣದಲಿ ನಾವನುಭವಿಸಿ ಉಂಡದ್ದು ಭಗವತ್ಸಾನಿಧ್ಯದ ದಿವ್ಯರಸದೂಟ. ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ರಸದಚಿಲುಮೆಯಷ್ಟೆ.