AVALA BETTA (HILLS) -VISIT

Sunday 29November2015

After the visit to GudiBande Fort, group decided to go to AvalaBetta, just on our way back. After missing the road few times and driving on bad road, we reached AvalaBetta, which is beautiful place. The drive/ride to the hill is on a very good road. After reaching the top, we had climb up about 100 steps to reach LakshmiNarasimha Temple. The scenery behind the temple is beautiful, with rocks. 

Avala Betta' located 35km from Chikkaballapur (en route to Gudibande) in Puresandra village, is a very sacred place. Lakshminarasimha Temple is located here. This is a very beautiful place. All around are hills and mountains. On top of this mountain, which is made up of mammoth boulders, is a splendid cave temple. Inside, arising out of a big boulder, an idol of Aval Kondaraya Swami is installed.

A lot of sanctity can be seen in this shrine. In the month of Shravana, a special jathra takes place every Saturday, during which devotees come and fulfill their vows. There is a pond called Anamadonaha. There is a longstanding belief that women who haven't been able to conceive will bear children once they bathed in this pond. This practice continues even today. Nowadays, daily prayers are offered at this temple. There is convenience of to and fro bus transport.

On our way back, we stopped over at a grape farm, where you can pluck and buy according to the weight. The villagers selling grapes are hospitable, asking you to taste as many grapes as you like. We also bought couples of kilos of grapes just Rs25 perKg.

written December2015

GUDI BANDE FORT - VISIT

Sunday, 29November2015
It was Rishikanth, planned a Sunday trip to GudiBande, with his friends Suraj, Abhishek, Gaurav and Bidisha and we (me and Nalini) happily joined them though we were not in their age group. They also didn't feel that way and it was a nice group.

We started off from BirthiMane, BhavaneshwariNagar, Benagluru at 9.30am with my car and two bikes. Guys came home as early as 9am. We took Hyderabad expressway NH7 towards

KempeGowda International Airport, drove up to ParaSandra a distance of 85 km and took a left turn to reach GudiBande, small town, a distance 13 km from the highway, on a fairly good road.
Gudibande is a small Panchayat town in ChikkaBallapur District of Karnataka.

The fort is almost in the middle of the town and we reached the foot of the fort by 11.30am, parked the vehicles and started the climb.

The Fort is believed to built by local Chieftain ByreGowda, some 400 years ago, but it looks much more older than that. The fort has seven levels of inter connecting escape routes which would help the help the soldiers to flee in case of emergency.

On the top of the fort, a Shiva temple, believed to be one of 106 Jyotirlinagas, The strong pillar with a square base has well sculpted images.

We can also have beautiful view of ByraSagara reservoir.
The main feature of the fort is rain water harvesting and it is said to be there are about 19 water ponds at different levels of the fort.

The climbing up was not an easy task, but well laid steps and  place to sit and relax before proceeding further. We had to pass through rocky stretch, steep climb at times. I think it has more 2000 steps before we reached the top, to Shiva temple and to view from the top of the fort. It is great sense of achievement when we pass through tough uphill task.

Spent about hald hour on the top and coming down was easy task and we bottom of the fort by 2 pm.
The GudiBande town has no good restaurants, as we could find out and we had some bananas and oranges for lunch and proceeded towards another hill, AvalaBetta.

Posted  Tuesday 01December2015

THULASI POOJA@BirthiMane

Monday 23November2015

We observed Thulasi pooja at home with lighting lamp, decorating with flowers, offering "naivadya" and the arthi to Thulasi-Nellikai (Amalalli) branch.
Thulasi or Basil is one of the most sacred of plants revered by people of all faiths, if not for its use in the worship of Lord Maha Vishnu, for its medicinal properties. When Lord Krishna proclaims in the Bhagavad Gita that He is satisfied with a leaf, a flower or a drop of water, the significance of the Thulasi leaf in the worship of the Lord becomes clear. Called Brinda, she attracts Krishna who loves to reside amongst the Thulasi plants in Brindavana.

Thulasi is worshipped on the twelfth day of the new moon in the month of Karthikai. The day is called Uttana Dvadasi or Brindavana dvadasi. On this day, lighting a ghee lamp near the Thulasi plant, decorating it with flowers and offering our prayers to Thulasi devi will bring us immense happiness and joy and ultimate union with Lord Krishna.

Uttaana Dwaadasi is celebrated as Thulasi festival known as Thulasi Damodara Vivaha, symbolically worshiping Thulasi along with Salagrama Shila (Lord Vishnu) and by erecting a branch of Amla tree (AmalakkiI). This ritual is also known as Prabhodotsava sacred occasion of Lord Vishnu getting up from His Yoganidra in the presence of holy and divine Thulasi.

ಪ್ರಸೀದ ತುಲಸೀದೇವೀ ಪ್ರಸೀದ ಹರಿವಲ್ಲಭೇ
ಕ್ಷೀರೋದಮಥನೋದ್ಭೋತೇ ತುಲಸೀತ್ವಾಂ ನಮಾಮ್ಯಹಂ |

written Wednesday, 25Nov2015

KANNADA RAJYOTSAVA 2015

Sunday, 22nd November2015

Kannada Rajyotsava is celebrated all over the world by Kannada speaking people, to mark the beginning of Liguistic States formed in India on November01, 1956.  Since that time, in month of November, RAJYOTSAVA is celenrated.
In Dubai, we used to celebrate by KarnatakaSangha, Dubai celebrate every year and also in AbuDhabi.
Sivarama Karantha Vedike, RT Nagar, Bengaluru, organizes a program every month and this month program is to celebrate Kannada Rajyotsava2015.
Dr (Prof) DoddaRange Gowda, distinguished literary person, inaugurated the function and spoke forty minutes on various issues. Kannada Language was there in Egyptian mummies and so many eminent personalities we had in Kannada. Unfortunately, he expressed his concern in the way in which we Kannadigas are looking at the language and supporting it. He condemned the other languages love of Kannadigas and urged all to use, talk and spread Kannada. In Bengaluru, only 21% of people speak kannada due to kindheartedness, which is a very sad situation.

Sri Sha Mum KrishnaRao

Smt. Susheelamma

Sri Pa.ChandraShekar Chadaga

Shri Sha. Mum. KrishnaRao, another literary person, spoke at length, about the present state of affairs due to negligence of Government and their attitude. No one is bothered, politicians are busy infighting, no concern and no values for distinguished personalities. However, he is of the belief that Kannada, being an ancient language, will survive, and need the support of all.
Smt. Susheelamma, Head of Sumangali SevaAshram, RT Nagar, expressed her concern and anguish about the present state of affairs and urged every kannadiga  do his best to teach Kannada to non-Kannadigas in the state.

SugamaSangeetha

The President of ShivaramaKarantha Vedike, Sri. Pa.ChandraShekar Chadaga in his usual style enumerated the importance of Rajyotsava and present scenario.
There was Sugama sangeetha Program by Shri Ramani Sundaresan and Dance Drama by Smt Padma VijayaKumar and the team.

written Tuesday 24Nov2015

VISIT TO A WELL WISHER - M G PRASAD

Sunday 22nd November2015

Mr Mysore GovindaPrasad, a family friend and a well wisher, for more than 35 years, since Nigeria days. He is now living in Mysore, with his wife NagamaniPrasad. Their only son, TrivikramPrasad lives in Bengaluru with his wife and children.

Mr Prasad, 75+years, takes care of his wife, and is always cheerful and very humorous at his conversation and lively. His positive attitude towards life keeps him healthy and active.
We became close friends when we were working in Gombe, in Nigeria in 1970's and 80's and when he moved to Dubai,U A E in 1985, I also shifted to same place worked together in the same place for many years.
It was a short visit to his residence in Mysore on Tuesday, 17thNovember2015, along with another good family friend UshaSuresh, who also lives in Mysore.
We wish Prasads long and healthy, happy life together.
written Sunday 22November2015

OMKARA - GRUHA PRAVESHA@HUNSUR

Wednesday 18thNovember2015

"OMKARA" front view

It is occasion of house warming or GruhaPravesha of newly built Commercial/Residential building of SatishaRao, younger brother of NaliniSomayaji at Hunsur, 40Km from Mysuru.
We left from Bengaluru on 17thNovember in the morning, had tyre puncture in BhuvaneshwariNagar itself, replaced it proceeded and after repairing at a puncture shop, continued our journey further.
Reached Maddur at 1pm and lunch at Adigas Hotel, reached UshaSuresh's house at Mysuru at 3 pm.
After resting for a while went to visit Prasads with Sureshs and stayed for an hour and returned.
Reached Hunsur at 8pm when the house warming poojas were in progress. After mangalarathi, dinner was arranged at Raghavendra Mutt hall. Then slept in the new house itself.

Morning after GanaHoma, GruhaPravesha heavy breakfast was arranged.

Rituals of GruhaPravesha: TulasiPooja, Govina(Cow)Pooja, DwaraPooja, The lady of the house enters with right leg, spilling a measure of rice in to the house, then relative enter with craddle with baby, God's idol, water in a container(Bindige) and other rquired items to the house. After which, milk is boiled in the kitchen by the owner's wife (Satisha's wife Malathi)

SatyaNarayanaPooja

After SatyaNarayana Pooja at the new house, grand lunch was arranged.

Left Hunsur by 3pm, stopped over at Kengeri for half hour, and reached BirthiMane @BhuvaneshwariNagar at NammaBengaluru.

Written Saturday 21Nov2015