Karikanammana Betta

There are numerous famous & hidden hill stations in Kanrnataka offering serene environs, captivating views and salubrious weather. Karikan hill also one of them but was not much popular, crowded or polluted, where situated very closed to Arebian Sea. At Karikan Betta there is an old temple dedicated to Devi (Paramesvari). Sage Shridhar Svami is said to have visited this place and established this temple on 1878 AC. There is no wonder that a Spiritual tradition maintains that Karikan with all its beauty fell from the clouds as a gift from the gods.

I stayed twice in this holy premise and it was a great feeling to stay in such calm and serene place. In Monsoon time the whole area covered by thick mist and running clouds and it’s a different feeling to walk early morning in Monsoon time. I got a real-time comparison of two contrasting weather conditions. The narrow roads of the Ghat slither up and down the hill side and offer some magnificent vistas. The Holy temple, the lush green hills, the varied flora and fauna, the majestic view of the vast valleys, the admiring cool air and shimmering Arabian Sea all this illuminating our soul and body.

The naturally formed Idol Lord Paramesvari is the main deity of this Temple and also we can see one tiger and few other idols here. The temple is located on one of the highest peaks off NH17, about 12kms from NH. In fact the hill is visible clearly from the highway. The temple must be about a hundred feet from the summit of this peak. It was silent and we could hear flowing water from the jungle below. Be it a tranquil mountain hideaway, exhilarating religious setting and an unusual spot be sure that this place gives you much needed break.

Solitude Beach Valley…

I experienced a magical weekend in last Sunday with my friends in RG beach which surrounded by verdant sheer cliff walls. In the pouring rain (which was the norm for this trip) we approached the lush entrance to RG hill top to see a beach valley. A visit to RG Beach involves a 15-minute drive down the side of NH17, and the narrow mud road ended on hill top, this is an easy stroll.

Once you are top of the hill, the views of the surrounding rugged green mountains are breathtaking, the wild waters of the Arabian Sea resplendent with large waves and dotted with dark, rocky mini-islands. The photography opportunities are virtually endless. The real magic is in the ridge walk across the hill top from one to another end. The beach and how powerfully it contrasts with the deep blue and the white crests of the waves and the emerald green of the vegetation.

High cliffs encircle this Beach; one can enjoy the excellent view from the hill. This a remarkable place to spend at Monsoon time, well worth the effort to get there. Multiply that by hundreds, surrounding us on all trees in all directions, and it was a cacophony of unrest. Here vast option is there for adventures trekkers. The frothy waves spewed misty clouds into the air, wafting inland and giving the forest trails a diffuse glow in the daylight. 

Hiking up the other side of the cliff and over to the next valley were treated to a private viewing of an even remoter valley that spanned from its chasm forming streams, islands and out to large sea stacks ringed with the white pounding turbulence of the Arabian Sea.

 From the summit I made my way west that marks a viewpoint on the edge of the summit plateau. This is where the next few photos were taken from.

Sadashiva Temple – Nuggehalli

Nuggehalli village is a holy place having flamboyant, elegant, pleasant temples of Lord Vishnu and Shiva, belonging to the Hoysala period. This place has a historical past dating back to the early 1246 AD, during which, Hoysala King Someshwara ruled this region.

This is an unusual Hoysala temple built in the Ekakuta architecture with Nagara styled tower. The walls of the shrine and the Mantapa are severe looking as there is no sculptural decoration. Yet this temple is considered important from the architecture point of view. The temple is built on a Jagati and Soapstone is the material used. It is the most beautiful Hoysala Nagara temple that survives today. 

It conforms to the Nagara style architecturally with the presence of Nagara and the absence of Harantara recesses. The temple has a large “Linga” in its garbha gudi (sanctum sanctorum) and an equally large and extremely carved Nandi (bull) that sits in a room whose walls are made of small many windows carved in stone.

Also unique about this temple is one of its kinds life-size standing idol of the goddess Parvathi and also its unique Navagraha statues with unusual facing is another feature to be noted. There are two idols Lord Ganesh, one outside the Linga’s sanctum and the other at the entrance to the goddess’ sanctum.

In the common hall lie the beautifully carved statues of Chamundeshwari, Subramanya, Ganesha, Kala Bhairava, a carving containing the different avatars of Parvathi, and Soorya Narayana. The idols are unique as all the statues are carved with fine precision and that they are carved even from the back.

 A Bhumija element of architecture is reflected in the tower and the original temple consisted of a sanctum, a Sukanasi, Navaranga with porches and a Nandi mantapa. There is also a big hall with a shrine for the goddess, another hall on a lower level and a lofty Maha Dwara that exists today, was added to this original structure.

Nuggehalli is situated at the mid-point on the Tiptur-Channarayapatna state highway, the distance between them being around 60kms.