A spur of the moment decision, next I know we are planning or rather packing for this day trip to have the darshana of the very divine Hasaanamba Devi. Multiple attempts in the previous year landed up with disappointments and hence, I was eager to have her darshana this time around. Along with a couple of my colleagues, the family of one of them joined us in this trip. It was such a blessing to be in the presence and to listen to the timeless wisdom of the elders of the group. The entire trip was a very happy family experience, with the elder couple caring for all of us as their own children.
We started from Bengaluru around 5:45 am. Enroute we stopped at MTR on Bengaluru - Hassan highway and treated ourselves to a sumptuous breakfast. Food is really good here !!!
Haasanamba Temple
A very divine temple nestled within the Haasan city, a much revered Devi whose darshana is available only for a specific period in a year. First and the foremost, we need to thank the Government, district administration, police and all the volunteers who have made this year’s visit a very well organised and wonderfully arranged one. Special shout out to Scouts and Guides from various colleges who are managing the crowds in a wonderful manner. Booking a ticket enabled us to have Darshana in 15 mins tops. The crowd flow is excellent and arrangement to distribute laddoo Prasad is equally top-notch.
As we exit, ISKCON has setup a beautiful pandal with a divine Venkateshwara Swamy backdrop. They are distributing free coupons for some very divine Prasada to all devotees. As we made our way back to the main road, I saw a group of women sitting on narrow steps of a shop reciting the divine Lalitha Sahasranamam. Devotion knows no form, no structure, no place… Its just an outpouring of conditional surrender to the divine and these wonderful women epitomised the same.
Overall, a wonderful darshana and divine experience of a life time.
Doddagaddavalli Lakshmi Temple
When I asked around in main city and petrol pump, not many knew of this place and I was left wondering why. When we landed up at this temple (around 15 kms from the city centre), I was paradoxically happy i.e. happy that this gem is nestled beautifully and maintained delicately with care, but equally sad that no many in the city know about this marvellous place right in the neighbourhood.
An epitome of Hoysala architecture, this is a very unique temple from many aspects. As with many temples of this era, this divine place is right next to a large lake (kere). The temple is quite beautiful with the Hoysala Motif prominently on all the Gopuras. The overall complex is maintained very well. When I discussed with the local people, I learnt that the temple is maintained by a trust of local villagers. This is what true local governance is all about.
The internal architecture of the temple is somewhat a mystery for me. When we enter, we have the darshana of a divine Mahakali vigraha. The ceiling of the temple is adorned with a beautiful carving of Maa Saraswati.
When we move towards right, we have the main deity on our left which is Mahalakshmi. Right opposite her, there is a beautiful and majestic linga called Bhooteshwara. On the threshold, we found an intricate carving of a goddess flanked by Elephants. The priest corrected our understanding that this is Gaja Gowri.
The temple complex has a very intricately carved Veeragallu. The trust run by the locals was distributing the Prasada in clean donne. Their selfless dedication and devotion to the supreme is inspiration.
Hiremagaluru Kodanda Ramaswami Temple
This was a temple I desperately wanted to visit after viewing some photos on the social media. Travelling around 40 kms from Doddagaddavalli, we finally found this gem hidden a few meters away from the main road. This temple visit was perhaps the second best decision of this trip (Hassanambe being the primary one) and was revealing from many aspects. Famous for the acclaimed priest, Sri Kannaji, this Rama kshetra is a must-visit for anyone coming to this part of the country.
The temple was build 1200 years ago by the Cholas and is renowned to be the oldest surviving Sri Rama temple in the country where daily worship is being continued to this date. When we entered the temple, we were surprised by a sight of the main archkaru imparting Samskruta Vyakharana (Grammar) lessons to a few foreign individuals. When we had a deep and involved conversation, we found that these students are from Israel, who are learning Samskrutha and are currently in India for Guru-mukhena lessons. Our rich traditions have fans far and wide in the world. It should also be an eye-opening observation that foreigners (not that we require this endorsement), are finding interest in Samskrutha, but our own brethren are not showing same zeal or interest.
Sri. Vaishnava Simha (nephew of Sri Kannan), the current priest in charge is a scholar in his own right. His radiance (Tejas) is clearly seen on his face and is a reflection of his deep knowledge and refined thought process. He spent quality time with us providing not just information about the temple, but more about the Dharmic thought process behind a temple and its significance in our daily lives.
The current temple was built by the Cholas with further expansions by Hoysala and Vijayanagara empires. The current vigraha is a depiction of Seetha Rama Kalyana as shown to Parashurama. The background of the vigraha is that Parashurama, angered by the breaking of Shiva’s bow comes to fight the person who broke it i.e. Sri Rama. After the fight, Parashurama realises that no one else can defeat him unless the person is Maha Vishnu himself (as with his case too). Humbled, he asks Rama to grant him a sight of the vivaha which is depicted in this sculpture. Some important points from Sri Simha’s explanation.
- Seetha is to the right of Sri Rama which is unusual.
- Only Sri Rama, Seetha, Lakshmana are present in this depiction as this is related to Sri Rama vivaha. Hanuman hadn’t yet meet Sri Rama and hence, is not part of the sculpture. However, to aid Pooja (see more below), a Hanuman picture is carved into the platform enabling daily sevas.
- Sri Rama is never worshipped alone. He is always worshipped with Seetha, Lakshmana and Hanuman. Each one of them sacrificed for the sake of Sri Rama and hence, Rama considers that worship should always include all these people who gave up their everything for his sake. Hanuman is the only who gave up all as a devotion to his swami and hence, is worshipped separately.
- Sri Rama is seen holding Kodanda (his bow) and a single arrow. There is no quiver of arrows in the murthy indicating the return of the marriage party. No one would take the Astras and Shastras for marriage and hence, this is quite an accurate representation of the incident.
Beyond these historicity, the absolute fruit of this trip was to hear to Sri Vaishnava Simha’s clear articulation on why these temples were constructed? For whose sake these temples were constructed? Are these meant to be given a priority only in later half of life (post retirement perhaps)? Aren’t the builders young men in their prime who have sacrificed their blood and sweat to erect these magnificent structures? What are they trying to communicate with this future generation?
What is Bhakti? What is Svadharma? Such nuanced topics were explained very eloquently and quite intellectually by Sri Simha. His clear kannada diction (with an equal mastery over English) is for everyone to savour. The refinement in his mannerisms is just too hard to miss. It was really our Bhagya to meet and interact with such a learned scholar.
Belavadi Veera Narayana Temple
One of my favourite temples which I revisited in this trip. Though the temple was closed, we did click some pictures of the architecture. More I visit, more I find some newer observations. Just a heavenly place for me.
Javagal Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
One of the temples I missed in my last trip was the Javagal Sri Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple. Javagal is famous for her prodigal son “Mysore Express” Sri. Javagal Srinath. Equally famous is the world renowned Narasimha swamy kshetra. This was also closed during our period of visit. This is quite a smaller complex with some renovations ongoing. However, a pradakshina of the prakaara showed some wonderful carvings on the walls of the temple. I was left speechless and dumbstruck at the magnificence and excellence of our ancestral artisans.
Return to Bengaluru
Taking the long journey back, thanks to Google akka a.k.a. Google Maps, we landed up coming through Arsikere and Tiptur. Tiptur is a magnificent place which deserves a trip of its own. What struck me was the name “Kalpatharu” (Wish fulfilling) i.e. the name of the ever bountiful Coconut tree that is famous in this region. Apart from the Engg. College, the name finds a mention in many business establishments as well as the entrance board of the district.
This was a wonderful journey along with some wonderful people. We forgot that we were colleagues and jelled as though it’s a family. Special thanks to Chitthi and Chittappa who enriches us with their knowledge, wisdom and experience. Wonderful divine day.
Comments