Monday, March 29, 2010

Morning hues at Hessarghatta Lake

Hessarghatta lake just on the outskirts of Bangalore is a favorite haunt of many a photographers. Designed more than a century back to meet the water suppy to Bangalore city-this lake is home to many a variety of birds. The cacophony of the bird calls reaches a crescendo in the morning with the birds of all sizes zipping around is something to be experienced.
This area is also famous for the dance school started by the Odissi danseuse late  Protima Bedi.

However, here are some photographs of the wonderful hues the nature paints at Hessarghatta.

Nature's Pallette


Just before the sun emerges out of the clouds

Pathway leading to the lake, displays many a hue

Orange on a blue sky

Monday, March 22, 2010

BUNS at Karwar

The best  thing to do when you travel  is do what the locals do. So here I was in Karwar and landed up on the beach for a morning walk in the early hours-watching the sky change its colours, The fishermen untangle there nets to send their catch to the market. The lazy one setting out for to collect their share of nature's bounty.

Here is a group preparing for tommrow, mending their nets


After the walk we land up in a road side shop for coffee and we see the the morning rays on VADA and BUNS. Buns?  I had not heard of it it. It looks a bit like Puri and a bit like Kachori. Its normally eaten with vegetable curry, and is quite filling. I prefered to have it without the curry since it was a bit sweet- on account of the banana added to the dough. My cousin, passionate about food as I am, blogs profusely at  http://kannadacuisine.blogspot.com/
I am sure she would love to gather the recipe for buns. It would be so nice if somebody could do it.

Enjoy this Buns with vada


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Sajjeshwara Temple at Karwar - One of the Panchaliga

Mythology is always intersting-irrespective of facts. Heres another - the Mythology of Ravana handing over the Shiva Linga to Ganesh to perform his evening rituals and Ganesh grounding it in Gokarna is well known. In a fit of rage, Ravana is supposed to have tried to wrench out the Linga from ground and in this process flew out four fragments, the main remaining at Gokarna - The four other locations where the fragments flew out are purported to be, the Sajjeshwara, Gunavanteshwar, Murudeshwar and Dhareshwar ,

While Gokarna is a famous pilgrim centre – This temple - Sajjeshwara is nondescript and almost lost, with the maintenance much to be desired. Easily accessible from Karwar, its only a few Kilometres away.


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A Jain Basidi in Ammanagi

Travel places and bet to find something to knock you down. Here we were on the way to Hukkeri (in Belguam District of Karnataka) and we learn of a ancient Jain temple unearthed in the year 1993. This is Ammanagi village in Hukkeri Taluk.

A magnificent temple, all black dedicated to Thirthankara Parasvanath - look as if it is cut of some soft material and not stone. Even a knock on the wall does not sound like stone. Purported to have been built in the ninth century during the Chalukyan period by their Chieftain who were Jains, this village has some dilapidated remains of buildings which points to Ammanagi being an important settlement those days.

The Basidi

Inner View of the temple