Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Exploring Madikeri Fort

A flash of white in the window captures my attention. From this distance, all I can make out is a figure standing. I don’t have binoculars, but my camera serves me just as well. The zoom lens shows me a figure, dressed in white, a red sash tied neatly across, a government official of some sort, talking to a policeman. It suddenly strikes me how apt the situation is. At one time, this was a palace, where the king and his ministers would have had conversations with his guards and officers. Today, it is the District Collector’s office, and it is a government official conversing with a police officer. Once again, how apt!




The DC office I am standing outside was once the erstwhile palace of the Kings of Coorg, situated within the strong walls of the Madikeri fort. As a tourist, I can only explore part of it. I am not allowed anywhere inside, for every space available indoors is still in use, albeit as government offices. 



The fort is an imposing structure, located right in the centre of Madikeri town. However, there is little here to tell us of the king who made this town the capital of Coorg – Muddu Raja. That was some time in the late 17th century. Since then, the fort has seen a lot of changes. It was first captured by Tipu Sultan, then recaptured by Dodda Virarajendra. The fort was further modified by Linga Rajendra, only to finally fall under British rule in 1834.

The DC Office... or the erstwhile palace within the fort


Gateways leading to more sections of the fort.. and today, more offices

Efforts have been made to preserve the fort. The lush green lawns invite us to sit awhile and gaze at the sight, and the two life size elephants standing guard make me wonder where they originally stood, and if there were more such decorative elements in the fort. Walking on the ramparts of the fort is a pleasure, and my son happily runs over them, even as I pick my way carefully. Under the rampart is a path leading inwards, but an official standing inside stops me as I enter, saying it is the entrance to yet another office. My son squeals excitedly as he stands on the arch above me, making his way to a niche which looks like it may once have served as a guard’s lookout point.

Two elephants stand guard, and behind them you can see the wide ramparts of the fort

One of the gates..on the left you can see the arch (you can actually walk on the arch!)


Samhith imagining himself as a soldier!


A simple Ganesha temple is probably the oldest, but most visited part of the fort. Closed when we entered, it soon shows signs of life. Almost every person leaving work stops by the temple before going their way, and most visitors stop too, for a second look.

The Ganesha Temple


In complete contrast is the church located in the complex. It was built by the British when they took over the fort. More than a century later, when they finally left after independence, they stripped the church of its belongings – the altar, the cross, everything that could be removed. Today, the church is a hollow echo of its past, used as a museum to house relics found in the area, with a single Karnataka ASI official sitting guard, proprietarily ordering people to keep their hands off the displays. The stained glass on the wall behind what was once the altar is the only reminder that we are in a place of worship.  That the fort sees many visitors is evident. However, there seem to be few who show an interest in the names of people engraved in the church – the original patrons, or so we were told by the ASI official, his happiness at having an audience clearly evident.

The church



Lost in the past, we have spent more time at the fort than we have intended, and, in the process, we have missed seeing the sun set. However, I have no regrets – for the sunset point would have been packed with tourists with cameras clicking away. Here, in the fort, I have had a slice of history, all to myself, even if just for a little while. 

Artifacts outside the church

This was originally published on the Club Mahindra Blog. You can read the original article here

Comments

  1. You showed us lot can be seen even now!!! Last time when I went to Madikeri, my friend just ignored this place saying "Nothing is there inside". Now am realising could have visited this one...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sagar. I am a firm believer in the tenet that its not the place, but the eyes you see it with that make it interesting, or not. technically, your friend is right, in that, there is nothing really to see. But atmosphere, history, stories.. they need to be felt, not seen

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie