Nandi at Chamundi Hills, Mysore

The Nandi located at the top of Chamundi hills in Mysore (State: Karnataka) is bulit sometime in the years 1659 – 1673. The creation of this huge image of Nandi attributed to Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar, the Maharajas of Mysore.

This is the third largest image of Nandi in India. Carved out of single mammoth boulder it is about 16 feet in height and 24 feet long.

The Nandi is in sitting position with its left foreleg folded is on a 4 feet high platform. Many sequences of bells and garlands are carved beautifully over the Nandi.

According Hindi mythology considered as Lord Shiva's vehicle, the Nandi is in actively worshiped. This is an open shrine exposed to the elements of nature.

Direction: This shrine can be reached by climbing 1000 steps on the hill. Alternatively on the main road to hilltop, take right at the “View Point” junction. From this junction it is 2kms.

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Mangalore

Mangalore (State: Karnataka) is located at a distance of 350 kms from Bangalore. On the one side it has Arabian Sea, while on the other side there are Western Ghat mountain ranges. The city derives its name from the local Hindu Goddess Mangaladevi. It is one of the important port on the Arabian Sea. Its history dates bac to 7th century and it has been ruled by several prominent dynasties. Today it is a major educational hub in India.


Major attractions here are:

• Mangaladevi Temple
• Venkataramana Temple
  
• Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple
  
• Kadri Manjunatheswara Temple
  
• Sharavu Ganapathi Temple
  
• Kateel Durgaparameshwari
  
• St. Aloysious Chapel (1, 2)
• Milagres Church
• Light House Hill
  

Transport system in Mangalore include private buses, Government buses, trains, taxis and autorickshaws. The city bus service is operated by private operators and provides excellent connectivity through out the city and beyond.

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Lalbagh Gardens - Bonsai, Bangalore

Inside the Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore (State: Karnataka) the Bonsai Park is spread across 2.5 acres.

The various Bonsai trees are kept on the benches arranged in a particular format making it convenient for public.

There are around 500 bonsai plants aging from 5 to 35 years. Trees such as Jackfruit, Tamarind, Banyan tree etc., here are grown in pots in the miniature form.

The Bonsai Park is entered through the the 40-foot-high pagoda gate. Bonsai Park was opened for public from the first half of the year 2011.

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Mysore - Karnataka

Mysore, the capital city of the Wodeyars has always enchanted its admirers with its quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady avenues and sacred temples. There's an old world charm about the city that reaches out and leaves no one untouched.
Mysore or Mahishur as it was called then, traces its history back to the mythical past, when Goddess Chamundeshwari of Chamundi Hills killed the wicked buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasura.
Mysore Dasara is the celebration of this victory of good over evil.Mysore also has associations with the Mahabharata and King Ashoka of the 3rd century B.C. During the Wodeyar rule Mysorereached the Zenith of its glory as a fabled centre of oriental splendour .
Mysore is the second largest city of Karnataka. Today, Mysore is a vibrant city teeming with tourists and visitors. It is known the world over for its exotic sandalwood and rich silks. Its grand and imposing palaces, majestic temples, gardens leave an ever-lasting impression on the visitor.
The word Mysore is derived from Mahishuru or Mahishasurana Ooru, meaning the town of Mahishasura, the demon king who is believed to have lived here. The history of Mysore can be traced back to the time of Mahabharata. It was ruled by the Ganga Dynasty from the 2nd century to approximately 10th century. Later it was ruled by the Cholas for a century which was followed by the Chalukyas, Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar Empire and finally the Mysore Yadu rules in the 13th century.
During the reign of Chamaraja Wadiyar the city is said to have gained prominence. For a brief period the Wadiyars got dethroned, but finally returned to power under the British command at the end of the 17th century.
Situated 770m above sea level, Mysore has a warm and cool climate throughout the year.

1. Mysore Palace

2. Brindavan Gardens

3. Chamundi Hills

4. St. Philomena's Church

5. Mysore Zoo

6. The Art Gallery

7. Rail Museum

8. Karanji Lake Nature Park

9. Kishkindha Moolika Bonsai Garden

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Jama Masjid, Bijapur

The Jama Masjid is the first and largest mosque of Bijapur (State: Karnataka) city. Built in 1686, during the rule of Adil Shah I, the Jama Masjid is a simple and huge rectangular structure with graceful arches.

The grand architecture includes a huge hall having 45 compartments. Above this hall resting on the beams is the massive onion-shaped dome. The masjid occupies an area of over 10,000 square meters and can accommodate 2250 devotees.

On the either side of the arches there are small carvings at the top. The interior of each compartments are carved beautifully.

The only interior decoration at the mosque is Mihrab shown above.

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Ibrahim Roza - Mosque, Bijapur

The Ibrahim Roza complex located in the western outskirts of the Bijapur (State: Karnataka) city. Built sometime in 16th century, it comprises of a tomb and mosque. For now we will concentrate on the details of mosque.

The mosque has perfect domes that is topped with crescent moons. There are symmetrical minarets on four corners of the mosque.

The doorways with the distinctive pointed arch lead into cool high-ceiling chambers. The carvings on the arches are very grand.

If keenly observed one can see a stone chain hanging from the top.

The symmetry in the arches are worth noticing and interiors are well decorated and properly carved.

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Zones of Hampi

The World Heritage Site, Hampi (state: Karnataka) is divided into many zones based on the their significance. This 14th century flourishing capital of the Vijaynagar Empire spread across the rocky terrain of 26 sq.km had plenty of palaces, temples which exhibited its rich culture and wealth in its hay days.

The Sacred Centre is the religious part of Hampi as a number of temples are located here. Some of the old temples in the area are still functioning. Some of the important structures in this area includes the Badavilinga Temple, Kadalekalu Ganesha, Krisha Temple, Virupaksha Temple and Vittala Temple.

The Royal Centre is the part that is mostly populated with the courtly and military structures. Some of the important structures in this area includes the Elephant Stables, Lotus Mahal, Queen's Bath, Mahanavami Dibba, Stepped Tank and the Hazara Rama Temple.

Anegondi is the area on the other side of the river which seperates it from other zones. Important places here are Hanuman Temple and Ranganath Temple.

This zones are connected by road and coracles through the river.

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Flowering Tree - African Tulip Tree

Bangalore (State: Karnataka) known as Garden City true to its name as lot of flowering trees on either side of most of the roads. They bloom with flowers of various colors. One such tree is African Tulip Tree also known as Spathodea Campanulata.

The cup shaped deep-orange flowers attract nectar-feeding birds and insects. The flower buds form a ball-shaped cluster and these buds contain water. The outer buds bloom first before the inner ones. The flowers in clusters stand out from the rest of the green foliage around it.

When in full bloom this tree is a grand sight to watch. Most of the year the tree has dark green leaves.

The tree grows as wide as it grows tall producing an immense shade.

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Nimishamba Temple, Ganjam

Ganjam (State: Karnataka) is located at a distance of 17 kms from Mysore. Here is the famous Nimishamba Temple on the banks of river Cauvery.

This ancient temple was built by Mummadi Krishanaraja Wodeyar, king of Mysore. The presiding deity of this temple is Goddess Parvati. Idol of the Goddess is carved in black stone. People believe that she will grant your wish in a minute.

Other idols inside the temple are Lord Shiva, Ganesha, Surya Narayana and Hanuman. There are sculptures of Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati at the entrance on either side of the main tower.

Route: On the Mysore - Bangalore highway near Srirangapattana town, a road towards right leads to Ganjam.

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Mysore, the Heritage City

Mysore (State: Karnataka), is located at a distance of 140 kms from Bangalore. For many centuries the city was under the control of Wodeyar Dynasty.

Mysore is well known for the festivities that take place during the period of Dasara. It is celebrated for 10 days every year and was introduced for the first time by King Raja Wodeyar I in 1610.

The city is known for its heritage buildings, palaces which are all around the city. The city can be rightly called "The Heritage City".

The main attractions are:

• Amba Vilas Palace
• Mysore Zoo
• Art Gallery
• Railway Museum
• Chamundi Hills
• St. Philomena's Church
• Brindavan Gardens
• Lalith Mahal

Nearby Tourist Attractions are:

• Somnathpur
• Ganjam
• Srirangapattinam

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Lalbagh Flower Show - January 2011

Every year in the month of January and August, the Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore hosts Flower Show. If in Bangalore around this time one should not miss the event.

In the month of January, it is usually organized for 10 days from January 17th to 26th. The theme for this year is metro transport system. To ease the traffic in city the metro train project is currently in progress.

This year another attraction at the event is one of the original city gate towers. It is beautifully made from colorful roses.

On display were lot of varieties of Anthuriam, Orchids, Celosia and Dianthus among others.

Every day thousands people enjoy the beauty of these flowers on display. It is mostly crowded in the evening on the weekdays. Best time to be in this place is the early afternoon. I had been here on the weekend afternoon. Even though it was crowded I had enough space to take some snaps.

Very minimal entrance fee is charged for the show. No charges for camera.

For more visit My World Tuesday

ABC Wednesday and Mosaic Monday

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Elephants in Mysore Zoo

Mysore Zoo is the most popular zoo at Mysore (State: Karnataka) in India. There are various animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Elephants.

They have been provides lot of space to move around. There are both Indian as well as African elephants here.

This is a nice place for the kids to get know about the various wild species. The trip through the zoo consumes more than half a day.

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Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore

The historical Chamundeshwari Temple of Goddess Durga is located on the top of Chamundi Hills about 13 km from Mysore (State: Karnataka).

The original shrine was built sometime in the 12th century by Hoysala rulers and its tower was probably built in the 17th century by the Vijayanagar rulers. The temple tower is seven story tall and is decorated with intricate carvings.

On top of the sanctum is a small tower that can be seen from outside the temple. Around the temple are small beautiful carvings of Goddess in black stone. They are present both on inner courtyard as well as outer walls of the temple.

When in Mysore, even though outside city the visit to the temple is really worth.

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Chamundi Hills, Mysore

The Chamundi Hills with an elevation of 1000 meters is located close to Mysore (State: Karnataka) as many interesting sites. The temple top cab reached either by vehicle or by climbing around 1500 steps. From the top you can get a panoramic view of the Mysore and surroundings. At the top of the the hill are few temples. most prominent among them is the temple of Goddess Chamundeshwari.

En route to the top, one can see

• the large monolithic statue of Nandi the Bull.
• the statue of Demon Mahishasura.

At the top temple of Goddess Chamundeshwari

We started from Mysore to the Hills at around 7:00 a.m in the morning. It was drizzling on the the way. And at the top the temple tower was covered by mist. On the way we saw group of horse riders.

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Bannerghatta National Park

Bannerghatta National Park (Karnataka) is at a distance of 22 kms from Bangalore. Total area of park is approximately 104 sq.kms and is covered by mostly dense forest and scrub land. It is home for various wild animals such as tiger, lion, bison, leopard, wild boar.

Other attractions include a zoo, crocodile farm, butterfly park. In addition, a portion of the park is used as a sanctuary for rescued wild animals, mainly from circuses. Below are set of images from the zoo.

On Tuesdays, the Park remains closed.

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