In search of India's Nostradamus - Kaivara Tatayya, Kolar

In the hustle and bustle of life, juggling between work, travel plans often takes a backseat. Sometimes the thought of just letting things go and moving ahead with the travel takes the better of me. It is so true that Travel not just bring experience, but also fun and learning. Many of my blogs are centered around places around Namma Bengaluru. This blog is about a similar place with spiritual significance.

The monsoon season gave a perfect timing for a long weekend drive, and the misty Saturday morning, added to the pleasure of riding. We started our journey at 7 am in the morning towards the Kolar Road and crossed all the traffic snarls in 45 mins. We zipped past the vast cultivated lands, and the serene greenery adding to the fresh air. Enjoying this respite from the polluted environment that we get in the city, we rode slowly.

At 8:45 am, we reached Chikka Tirupati, which was our first planned destination. Unlike the crowded atmosphere, there were few people visiting the temple, and we could finish our darshan of the lord in 15 mins. The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, and is considered similar to the Tirupathi Venkateswara temple. The main deity is a finely carved Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) and is believed to be around 500 years old. Vishnu is worshipped as Venkateshwara and his consort Lakshmi as Alamelumangai. You may read more details about this place at the link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikka_Tirupati

Our next travel destination was the Kolaramma temple, which is 4000 years old, built by the "Chola" dynasty. It is situated approx 50Km from Chikka Tirupati and is located in the heart of the Kolar district. The road from Chikka Tirupati to Kolar is a single lane, but the drive is mesmerizing with fresh oxygen and lush greenery enroute. It took almost an hour to reach the place, with the help of google maps. The entrance of the Kolaramma temple had two long pillars with inscriptions engraved, revealing the the  glorious past of the dynasty. We captured few photographs before entering into the temple. The main deity is said to be installed by Lord Parshurama, himself. Mythology dates back to the time when Parashurama who beheaded his mother and was cursed with "Mathru atheya Dosha" (Killing the Mother). Hence he was unable to have food which turned to worms. Overcome with guilt and after deep penance, he was told to install the idol of Goddess Durga every day, before consuming food. The temple is L-shaped housing two shrines, one for Goddess Durga who is known as Kolaramma and another for Saptamatas. The idol of the goddess is placed on the side of the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagudi) since the goddess is considered very fearsome and the devotees are protected from her direct gaze by worshipping her looking at a mirror placed opposite her idol. Another deity of this temple is Chelamma or the scorpion goddess. People believe that by praying at the Chelamma shrine a person will be guarded from scorpion bites by the deity. Breathtaking architecture, and the intricate designs speaks volumes about the unique expertise of the artisans and engineers of the Chola Dynasty. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture all of these in my camera.

We moved on to drive to "Antaragange" which is just 5 Km from the Kolaramma temple. The temple at Antaragange is situated on mountain and has 5 Jyothirlingas. The temple has a unique pond which gets continuous water supply from the mouth of Basava (stone bull). Since Antaragange is situated in a reserve forest area, we may occasionally get to hear the screech of the peacocks. You need to be cautious about the monkeys around the place.

After the visit to Antaragange, we continued our journey in search of India’s Nostradamus called as "Kaivara Thathaiyya" - SHRI YOGI NAREYANA YATHINDRA. It’s took almost an hour from Kolar, riding through the plain and breezy lands. We reached the mutt at the lunch time and had a simple yet tasty food. Kaviara Thathaiyaa is called as India’s Nostradams as his predictions written on palm leaves have come true. The Mutt is very well build and offers a spiritual atmosphere. We then moved on to see the Bhimalingeshwara temple, where the presiding deity – Shiva linga was installed by Arjuna and Bheema. But since the temple was closed, we did not get to be inside the premises. We then drove to the cave where Kaivara Thathaiyya got his enlightenment. We could catch an glimpse of the entire city from this mountain. Upon the advice of a fellow traveler, we wabted to visit Kailasa Giri. When asked about the significance of the place, we were told that it could only be experienced. This man-made hill which houses a temple inside, is truly magnificent and stunning.  

After the adventurous ride, encompassing numerous places, we returned back to our sweet homes cherishing the memories that filled our souls with contentment. This begins our search for our next destination…

The photos can be viewed in the below link 
https://www.facebook.com/PhotographyVasanth/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1715926815285981