WEAVER'S WORLD / MYSORE / PLACES TO VISIT -5

WEAVER'S WORLD / MYSORE / PLACES TO VISIT -5

The tallest free standing monolith in the world !, 57000 feet tall statue looking above the hill of Indragiri in kayotsarga mudra that is in standing position. It was consecrated by a commander in chief and prime minister, Chavundarya, inspired by his mother Kalala devi; in the kingdom of Talakad Ganga dynasty in 981 AD. This is the most adorable and beautiful granite statue of Jain Digambara at Shravan Belgola which is also a pilgrimage center; 51 kms from Hassan and 158 kms from Bangalore city in Karnataka, India. This statue was executed in 12 years and has 647 steps to climb.

The name Shravan Belgola: Shravan means naked monks and Belgola means a white pond. This small temple town has largest numbers of Digambara temples and also the largest numbers of inscriptions in many ancient languages. The legendary story of Bahubali is also very interesting to learn. Every 12 years thousands of devotees congregate here to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a spectacular ceremony in which the statue is covered with milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. The next Mahamastakabhisheka will be held in 2018. The Statue is called as 'Statue of Gommateshvara' by the Kannada people of Karnataka, but the jains refer to the same as "Bahubali" . Shravanabelagola has two hills, Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri or Indragiri. Acharya Bhadrabahu and his pupil Chandragupta Maurya are believed to have meditated there. Chandragupta Basadi, which was dedicated to Chandragupta Maurya, was originally built by Ashoka in the third century BC.

This is one of the oldest dams in Karnataka, an important reservoir for cultivation in the state. 90 kms away from Mysore city towards the south, you will find Kabini dam. This is where water flow of western ghat is stored and released to southern parts of Karnataka and few parts of Tamil Nadu, you can spend quality time at jungle lodge, sarai and orange county. There is a very good photo stop from one of the village roads at the left of the main road just about 500m before the entrance. One can get a full view of the waterfalls that will remind you of Niagara and the rainbow it creates before sunset is simply awesome. There are many resorts both Govt. and Private around this area. The dam has 4 crest gates. It usually fills during rainy season between June and August. There is also a power generation unit beside it. There is nothing much to see at the dam as such.

Great place to spot some birds out in wild and also in the aviary. Also a great place to walk around some greenery and serene lake. Since this is managed by Mysore Zoo the place is clean and well maintained. Doddakere in Mysore was used for immersing Ganesha idols during Ganesha festival season. As and when civilization improved and started providing more and more civic amenities like water through pipes to every home the use of tank water was discarded and those tanks turned out to be garbage pits. That was the fate of this Doddakere. After formation of statutory bodies like Zoo Authority that made use of Doddakere for improving the environment and to prevent pollution of atmosphere in 1976. Thus Doddakere was converted into a big fountain (Karanji) and lake of attraction for various species of birds and butterflies. Now we enjoy it as it looks a serene and calm lake.

The lake park is located at the foot of Chamundi hills from where we can see the scenic landscape developed in to birds’ haven, which is frequently visited by varieties of species of birds including the rare Glossy Ibis. Karanji park is visited by thousands of tourists to witnesses a regular influx of varied species of birds making it a miniature bird sanctuary.