TEMPLE VISIT - SRI KSHETRA POLALI

Wednesday, 1st May 2019
Sri RajaRajeshwari Temple, Polali

Sri Kshetra Polai, Sri RajaRajeshwari Temple is located about 20 km from Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka.  The Temple was built in 8th Century by King Suratha and has been developed by many dynasties.

The temple is located on the banks of river Phalguni in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada.

The temple portrays hindu architecture with wooden carvings of Gods. The recent renovation of temple and Brahma Kalashotsava made the temple very beautiful with lot of carvings around the temple.

We went by car from Udyavara with Nalini's sisters and Raghuram, Sujatha's husband and their daughter Dr Smitha Rao joined from Mangalore.

That was a nice trip to temple, after Mangalarathi and darshan, we had prasada oota in the special area for brahmins.

Posted Friday, 10th May 2019

CHOWLA (CHUDAKARMA) SAMSKARA - A RITUAL

Wednesday, 8th May 2019
Vidyapeeta, NammaBengaluru

AYUSH

Chowla or Chudakrma Samskara is first haircut of a child, where friends are invited to bless the child. It is ceremony in which child's hair is shaved for the first time except tuft of the on the crown part of the hair is retained.

It is believed that an important artery passes below the tuft, so it's important to leave the tuft.

One such occasion was chowla ceremony of Ayush, son of AishwaryaMurali. Aishwarya is the daughter of Mayagundi Bhaskar Bhat, s/o my sister Bhagirathi.

Few relations and friends were invited and grand lunch was there after the ceremony.

Posted Thursday, 9th May 2019

BRAHMOPADESHA AT OORU

Basavani and RamaMandira, HungaraKatte
28th and 29th April 2019

Upanayana (Brahmopadesha) is thread ceremony performed for boy when he attains age of 10 years,

AT BASAVANI

AT RAMA MANDIRA, HUNGARAKATTE

In olden days, it used to be time when child leaves the house and joins GuruKul for learning with Guru (Teacher). In present days, it is social symbol to inform that my son has grown  and he will be learning. There are some rituals performed when the boy is provided with thread, when he is covered with a white cloth, When the cloth is removed he becomes a Brahmachari. Later, the father tells him under a covered cloth the sacred Gayathri mantra in his ears

OM BHUR BHUVAH SWAH
TAT-SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASYA DHIMAHI
DHIYO YONAH PRACHODAYAT

The ceremony is usually followed by feast, grand lunch with several sweets and payasa.

We attended two such ceremonies at ooru.

1. At Basavani, near ThirthaHalli, a distance of 120 Km from Birthi, Salekeri. The Agumbe route was closed, we had to drive through Hulikal ghat to reach the place. It was three hour drive through forest and tall trees in western ghat. After grand lunch, we return to Birthi.

2. At RamaMandira, HangaraKatte., son of Bhaskar Adiga, whose mother Jaya in Kolar is sister of Prabhakara Kedilaya, is  a relation.

Same rituals followed and the ceremony followed by grand lunch. Some networking, socializing take place and catching up with lost contacts.

Posted Wednesday 8th May 2019

HULIKAL (BAALEBARE) GHAT - TRAVEL

Sunday, 28th April 2019

The mission was to reach Basavani, near ThirthaHalli to attend a Upanayana ceremony. The direct route via Agumbe was closed due to some repair work. So the alternate route was to travel via Haladi, ShankaraNarauyana, Siddapura and MastiKatte., a distance 100 km.

Hulikal is the name of a village and the range of Ghat running between HosaAngadi and MastiKatte is called Hulikal (BaleBare) Ghat. It is about 20 km and full of thick canopy of trees, evergreen forest and heavy rainfall during monsoon season.(from July to September).

The drive through the ghat was very pleasant as the winding road was smooth. It took about half an hour to reach Mastikatte from HosaAngadi. The return journey in the evening was also pleasant. The tall trees on either side of the road reminds of nature's gift to the mankind, called VANASIRI (Forest wealth).

The drive through the Hulikal ghat will be in the memory for a long time to come.

posted Monday, 6th May 2019

VISIT TO OORU - 27 April to 3rd May 2019

Sat April 27 - May 3rd 2019
Visit to Ooru - Salekeri, Birthi, Kadiyali, Udyavara, Balekudru, HungaraKatte, Parampalli

Sri DurgaParameshwari Temple, Salekeri

It was summer vacations, and a few functions in Ooru. The "OORU" is not a place, but collection of places around the native place, Birthi,Salekeri. Visiting ooru and staying in father's house is a joy, which recollects the memories of childhood days. We stayed almost for 7 days and visited relations and friends and attended various functions.

Naaga Pooje at Balekudru

Day 1, Saturday, April 27, 2019 - Reached Mangalore railway station at 6 in the morning after leaving Yeshvanthpur, Bengaluru at 7.30 pm and travelling overnight. in sleeper coach. Express bus was waiting, reached Udyavara at 8.00am, had breakfast, took car and went to Birthi. After finishing bath and pooja, went to Balekudru for NagaPooja function. After lunch at RamaMandira, visited Sumangali's at Parampalli, spent some time and returned home (Birthi).

with Sushravya and Sumangali

BirthiMane Cat "Bangari"

Day 2, Sunday, 28th April 2019 Left from Birthi at 8 am, after bath, pooja and breakfast to Basavani, near Thirthahalli (distance of 120 km). Also visited DurgaParameshwari Temple at Salekeri.
The drive from Brahmavara, Barkur, Haladi, ShankaraNarayana, Siddapura was very pleasant. Afterwards I have to drive through Hulikal Ghat from HosaAngadi, beautiful hilly terrain, on a nice road to reach MastiKatte, and then proceeded to ThirthaHalli. It is about 15 Km to Basavani where we were heading to a Upanayana ceremony of a relation , in a temple premises. After the ceremony, had grand lunch and by 3 pm, I left from there to drive back in the route we came.  Reached at 7 pm and visited Victoria and Thomas Suares at Uppinakote at their house and reached home.

UPANAYANA AT BASAVANI

SHANKARANARAYANA TEMPLE

Day 3, Monday, 29th April 2019 Today again, we were invited to another Upanayana function of s/o of Bhaskar Adiga, a distant relation at RamaMandira, HungaraKatte (about 6 km). After grand lunch, returned home and a good sleep. College friend Ramachandra Aithal, met at the function and talked about those days of college and living.

UPANAYANA AT RAMANDIRA, HUNGARKATTE

Day 4, Tuesday, 30th April 2019 Went for lunch at Vijalakshmi Bhat (Nalini's sister) at Kadiyali, near Udupi. After lunch had siesta, went to meet Shreesha Ballal for information about property change. Returned home by 6 pm

AT POLALI RAJARAJESHWARI TEMPLE

Day 5, Wednesday, 1st May 2019 - Planned to visit Polali near Mangalore, a distance of 90 km. Picked Vijaya at Kadiyali and SujathaRaghuram at Udyavara and proceeded via Mulki, Kinnigoli, Katil and reached renovated Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple at Polali by 12 noon. After darshan of the deity, and prasada (lunch) at temple, reached Mangalore to visit Dr.Smitha (Sujatha's daughter)
Left by 3.30pm, reached Udupi by 5 pm, dropped people and went Perampalli, near Manipal to see the site and returned home by 7 pm

Day 6, Thursday, 2nd May 2019, Today was Sujatha's turn to treat us for lunch and the three sisters were together again for chat and lunch. After a brief nap, went to Kittus and Jayalakshmi at MayaGundi, stayed there till 7 pm and returned home.

VIJAYA, SUJATHA, NALINI (SISTERS)

Day 7, Friday, 3rd May 2019, Since I booked train ticket from Mangalore to Bengaluru for tonight, had lunch at home, had a quick nap, left by 4 pm visited Udupi SriKrishna Temple and Sri Anantheshwara Temple and reached Udyavara to leave the car. Raghuram dropped on the highway side and we took a volvo bus to Mangalore, reached railway station at 8 pm to catch 9,00 pm Karwar express to reach next morning to KSR Bengaluru.

Day 8, Saturday, 5th May 2019. Reached KSR Bengaluru at 8.15am, engaged Wuber Taxi and reached our BirthiMane at BhuvaneshwariNagara at 9.15am, thus ending almost one week of ooru trip.

Posted Sunday 6th May 2019