Bangalore Railway Station
The highlight was a free open air concert by Shreya Goshal and Kunal Ganjanwala (sp?). Reminded me of the open air concerts in California, only this time it was Indian artists.
The small village of Somnathapura is about 35 klms from Mysore The Keshava Temple here was built in 1268 - Hoysala Dynasty.
We enjoy looking at ancient temples, built 700 – 1000 years ago, still standing strong.
The carvings tells stories of the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, which just fascinate Rohan to no end. Just by studying how many hands and legs a statue has, and what instrument/weapon each hand is carrying, Rohan can make a pretty good guess which mythical character it is. Similar to Roman and Greek mythologies.
The highlight was a free open air concert by Shreya Goshal and Kunal Ganjanwala (sp?). Reminded me of the open air concerts in California, only this time it was Indian artists.
The small village of Somnathapura is about 35 klms from Mysore The Keshava Temple here was built in 1268 - Hoysala Dynasty.
We enjoy looking at ancient temples, built 700 – 1000 years ago, still standing strong.
The carvings tells stories of the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, which just fascinate Rohan to no end. Just by studying how many hands and legs a statue has, and what instrument/weapon each hand is carrying, Rohan can make a pretty good guess which mythical character it is. Similar to Roman and Greek mythologies.
I have to thanks Bangla School of Irvine for this – that little role of a monkey in Hanuman’s army 4 years ago was enough to kindle R’s interest in the Indian epics.
When the temple was carved, the rocks were soft and therefore easy to cut. The quality of the rocks is that they harden over time.
When the statues of Gods were washed inside the temples, the indoor drainage carried the water out.
R’s hand is in one of the outer drains. No worship is carried on i
n this temple now, because the deities have been looted over the centuries. This temple is now a National Monument.Lots of scenic places too, like the Balmuri Falls near Mysore.
Balmuri Falls near Mysore
Balmuri Falls near Mysore
YELAGIRI
Yelagiri is a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, about 180 klms by car from Bangalore. We drove up the hill through 14 hairpin bends, and were surprised to see an entire town complete with cows and wagons up there. AND wild pigs.
Yelagiri is a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, about 180 klms by car from Bangalore. We drove up the hill through 14 hairpin bends, and were surprised to see an entire town complete with cows and wagons up there. AND wild pigs.
Not to mention, all those monkeys along the way.
Time has stood still in some places.
The monkeys know what's coming?
And then, there was this road that seemed to lead to nowhere:-
But, C and I kept walking in the rain, and found Le Auroville, a subsidiary of Aurobindo Ashram, where we were treated to hot tea.
But, C and I kept walking in the rain, and found Le Auroville, a subsidiary of Aurobindo Ashram, where we were treated to hot tea.
Since it was raining on the way back, Mike, the manager, gave us his Kinetic Honda to ride back to our hotel!
The Malyalis decided to celebrate Onam at our complex this year. It is Kerala’s biggest festival – their harvest festival, and is not restricted to any particular religion. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, all come together to celebrate.
Very traditional fare.
So, we too tried our hand at the traditional
costume….
Very traditional fare.
So, we too tried our hand at the traditional
costume….