Bidar

I always thought of Bidar as a hot and dusty, centre-of-remoteness kind of place ...I shudder at my ignorance now. For Bidar is really a must-visit kind of place for any heritage enthusiast, teeming with diverse architectural and cultural remnants that mirror its chequered history.

And there is no better place to start than in its sprawling, huge, grand fort that is full of palaces, halls, wells, underground chambers and other nooks and crannies just asking to be explored.

Check out the massive fort walls and the one-of-a-kind triple moat.

The picture below was taken behind the Gagan Mahal, where you can find exciting underground rooms and passages that seem straight out of Famous Five.


Today's Deccan Herald has an article on Bidar that I wrote recently. A rather nice way to start the new year, I must say - having one of your articles published in the first week of January!

The Bangalore Inscription

Today's Deccan Herald carries my article on Begur and the 9th century inscription that mentions Bengaluru. I like their title for the article: Here lies the Bengaluru inscription.

Incidentally, INTACH had a Parichay to Begur last Sunday. We had a very enthusiastic of people, with a good sprinkling of architects this time, for some reason. Dr Jegannathan gave an interesting and intriguing talk on energy zones and everyone was most interested in the Lecher antenna and how he uses it. Dr SK Aruni of the Indian Council of Historical Research was there as a participant, but was quite happy to speak to the group about Begur. As always, he impressed everyone with his phenomenal knowledge - on the temple, hero-stones, Bangalore...The most exciting part of his talk for me was when he pronounced the potsherds that I had collected on a previous trip as being quite old - 2000 years old or thereabouts!

The good news is that the temple trustees, who also came to listen to the talks, were quite keen on preserving the inscriptions, especially the one that talks about Bengaluru now that they know what it means and what it stands for.

Parichay to Begur

INTACH Bangalore invites you to a Parichay to Begur.

Begur has a special place in Bangalore's history - the name Bangalore first appears in a 1100-year-old inscription found at the Panchalingeshwara temple here.

This ancient temple is a fitting venue to learn about the concept of energy zones in traditional Indian architecture from Dr R Jegannathan, who will demonstrate how to measure energy fields and speak about them in his talk, "Ancient Wisdom - A Pathway to Modern & Sustainable Living". We will also explore the history of the temple and the settlement around it.

When: 8:30 am on Sunday, 29 Nov 2009
Where: Panchalingeshwara temple, Begur

Directions: Head south on Hosur Road towards Bommanahalli. At Bommanahalli junction, turn right onto Begur road. The Panchalingeswara temple is on Begur Road, 3.6 km off Hosur Road.

There is a fee of Rs 100 for this event. Seats are limited, so please call ahead to register. For registration and more information, call: 9986023014.

Mystery of the sands

For a really unique mix of history, mystery, archaeology and a lovely dose of nature, you can do no better than head to Talakad (variously spelt as Talakkad, Talkad and Talakadu).

Talakad is an ancient town, dating back to at least 2000 years ago, judging by megalithic remains found here. In the early 1600s, Alamelamma, wife of the defeated Vijayanagar viceroy jumped into the river Cauvery here, but not before famously cursing the Mysore Wodeyar dynasty and the town of Talakad itself. You can see a documentary made by Sashi Sivramkrishna about the curse here. Of course, what is really intriguing about the story of the curse is how it seems to have come true. Many Wodeyar kings have indeed not borne male heirs and have had to adopt to continue their line; and the town of Talakad has indeed been deluged by sand.

So what does the scientific community have to say about this remarkable coincidence? Check out my article in today's Deccan Herald about this. I had a good time researching this article, including an enjoyable talk with MB Rajani, a postdoc at NIAS.

Today, most people know of Talakad either as a place of pilgrimage, for the Panchalinga darshana that is held here (to be held next week), or as a picnic spot, to frolic in the sun and sands along the Cauvery. But the next time you visit there, take time to go off the beaten track to see signs of the city (or cities?) that lies buried beneath the sand under your feet. Trust me, you can see them...

Heritage walk

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,

The chorus of Rudyard Kipling’s famous The Ballad of East and West can aptly be applied to Bangalore – a city of layers – a twin city with the European Cantonment to the East and the Indian Pettah to the West and Cubbon Park in between, serving as a barrier between the two!

Join us to find out if the two ever met and, along the way, experience a bit of Cantonment life along with some surprises thrown in.

Date: 31^st October 2009

Venue: St Mark’s Cathedral (entrance near Koshy’s)

Time: 8:00 am

We will wrap up in about 3 hours. As always, we will provide a light snack. Please carry some water with you. Parking is available along the road in front of St Mark’s, in Cubbon Park near Victoria Statue, or behind the Government Museum half a kilometre away.

Seats are limited for this event. Please register in advance by calling 99860 23014.

This walk is organised by INTACH Bangalore, Bangalore City Project (BCP), Max Mueller Bhavan, UDHBAVA Forum and MPSR Foundation.

The Nallur tamarind grove

Deccan Herald carried an article I wrote on the Nallur tamarind grove last week. There is something quite alluring about the grove of gigantic ent-like tamarind trees and the little Gopalaswamy temple that lies in their midst. As someone has commented on the article online, the carving of Krishna eating butter is enchanting. And though Dr Anuradha from Maharani College prefers the carvings on the Devanahalli Gopalaswamy temple, to my uneducated eye, the carvings at Nallur were truly remarkable. All in all, it makes for a quiet picnic spot...but watch out for the innumerable monkeys!

Hoysala heritage

We visited Halebid and Belur a few weeks ago. Halebid has hardly changed in the decade or so since I last visited. The temple is still as breathtaking and the government-run hotel right opposite still as flea-bitten as I remembered it from all those years ago! My only quarrel is with the new lighting in the Hoysalesvara temple, which from a distance, looks like a whole bunch of pigeons roosting on the roof. My favourite place in Halebid still remains the Kedaresvara temple, where nary a soul goes. We spent a magical and very rainy two hours there. I ooh-ed and aah-ed at the sculpture, while the kids had a whale of a time in the little pools that formed as a result of the downpour.

Bennigudda Hill was a new discovery this time around - highly recommended too, for the views, for its serenity and for its rustic feel.

Today's Deccan Herald carries an article I wrote on the lesser-known monuments of Halebid.