Sky-catchers of India

India is home to plenty of big tall buildings. Unlike other nations, these big tall ones were built in an ancient era. Wonderful to view, these places are a pleasure to visit. I don't call them skyscrapers, they are some of the sky-catchers of India.

Time to plan your vacations!

When Kempe Gowda established Bangalore, he built four towers across the city. This one is today in Lalbagh (a botanical garden) in the heart of Bangalore.

 The Vijaya Vittala temple in on the Bangalore-Tumkur National highway. This place also has an indoor statue of the Vishwaroopa darshan of Lord Krishna.

The St Philomina church of Mysore is a regular on the tourist visits. This massive structure resembles the Spanish church in Barcelona.

 The Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar statue is one of the symbols of Mysore, Karnataka. The golden color top with the majestic Wodeyar at the centre is a prominent place of the city.

 Chamundeshwari temple of Mysore, Karnataka is a must see when you visit this beautiful city. To sit and watch the city from the hill is a pleasant experience. 

The rich and marvelous Mysore palace is unimaginably vast. It's a visual treat to watch this during Dussehra. Lights and cultural events make the palace special during this time. I have not seen a richer palace than this anywhere else.

On the way to Mysore from Bangalore, there is a place called Sangam. This place is where Kaveri meets one of her tributaries - Lokapavani. This temple is at the junction. A thrilling boat ride (called locally as theppa) will entertain you here.

Srirangapatna is a small town on the way to Mysore from Bangalore. This was the capital of the HyderAli and Tipu-Sultan during their reign of Mysore. Their tomb is a major attraction of the place. The wooden palace and the Sriranganatha swamy temple are a pleasant watch.

Coorg, in Karnataka is the birthplace of the famous river - Kaveri. There is a small Tibetian settlement nearby called Bylakuppe. The monastery here is famous. This is the entrance to the Golden temple there. Visit the place when the monks start their prayer and get amazed at the music they create.

Close the hill station of Chickamagalur, Karnataka - there is this small and beautiful temple in the place called Heremagalur. The priest recites the mantras and shlokas that are translated to Kannada.

The towering Murudeshwara temple in coastal Karnataka stands right on the edge of the Arabian Sea. This is the tallest gopuram in Karnataka (if not in India). This was under construction when we caught it in our camera. Murudeshwara also has a huge Shiva statue. The sea-side restaurant is a pleasant eatery. 

  The main temple in Murudeshwara has the smaller gopuram, painted in gold.

The massive Madurai Meenakshi temple in Tamil Nadu is a treat to watch. It's hard to believe but true that we need a guide to roam inside the temple.

Srirangam is an island formed by river Kaveri, in Trichy (Tamil nadu). This populous land is the home to a big temple. This sky catcher is the main entrance to the temple.

The Brihadeshwara temple of Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu is famous for its massive Lingam and the big bull. There is a special significance to the gopuram here. If I remember right, the shadow of the gopuram does not fall on the ground. Be careful about the temperatures and burning hot stones in the courtyard.

Tiruavanamalai in Tamil Nadu is a unique place on special days. People visit the temple but also take a walking tour around the malai(hill) on special days.

The Bhandsagar Jain temple is a famous temple in Bikaner, Rajasthan. When I reached the place at around 1pm, I caught this snap.

Ranakpura Jain temple (in Rajasthan) is a massive marble temple. The sculptures are great and you can easily spend half a day out there.

The towering Jaisalmer fort(in Rajasthan) is a treat to watch. This is a living fort with houses and shops within the fort. A walking tour is recommended.

The Gadisagar lake of Jaisalmer(in Rajasthan) was almost dry when I went. But the center tomb, which was the kings, summer retreat was a treat to watch. The black fishes are amazing in this lake.

Jaswant Thada, in Jaisalmer is the place to watch the sunset. Here we capture the moon rise over the place.

The Umaid Singh palace of Jodhpur, Rajasthan is now a star hotel. This massive structure was built to create employment when the place had a drought.

Uff!!! - You know that you have a lot to cover in India. And damn sure that this is just the tip of the Iceberg.

Water harvesting - Govt role!

Karnataka in National News

The year 2010 has not started well for Karnataka.

My state has been in prime time news of most national channels. You think its good. No, Its in news for all the wrong reasons.

 

• The turmoil in the present BJP govt made headlines. The govt was about to fall with lot of dung flying around. Karnataka politics had hit an all time low.
• Our ex-PM used very foul language against the present CM of Karnataka. Yes, it was caught on camera. It kicked off a debate on the kind of language that politicians use.
• Then came the tragic fire in one of Bangalore's commercial buildings. 7 people tragically died. Good amount of hue and cry resulted in. Debates on the fire safety measures in buildings started, which is good.
• IPL brought some cheers with Bangalore team doing reasonably well. But the happiness was hit by bomb blasts. There were some bomb blasts on the eve of a match which resulted in semis moving out of namma Bangalore. Security in Karnataka became a concern.
• Karnataka based swami was caught in the act. His ashram near Bangalore was raided. Dirty videos splashed news media and internet sites. I should agree that this did not create a big dent in Karnataka's image.
• The Tharoor gate opened the Reddy gate also. Illegal mining by Karnataka ministers was the debate in Parliament. Karnataka was again in bad light.
• Now its Halappa. The ex-minister is embroiled in a rape case. Videos, audios make the news sensational. Karnataka's politicians are going from bad to worse.

 

Smaller stories like Belgaum issue, the Hogenekkal issue, power crisis in the state etc always take some slot in the bulletins.

 

Luckily we still have some competition to share space in the "bad news section". Telangana, Lalit Modi, Soren and Mayawati share stage with Karnataka.