If you had read my previous piece on the Kolaramma Temple, dedicated to the goddess and presiding deity of Kolar, you would be familiar with the history of Kolar. For a quick recap, Kolar was previously known as ‘Kuvalapura’, and became the capital of the Ganga Dynasty. For as long as they were in power … Continue reading The grandeur of Someshwara Temple, Kolar ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Heritage
Reimagining Indic/ Vedic Calendar with ‘Coolture’ ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
A few days back, I received a tabletop calendar that was totally 'cool'! Well, it is already April, and you might ask me, wasn't it a tad late to receive a calendar in the month of April? Like I have written several times in the past, the Gregorian calendar and January 1st of a year … Continue reading Reimagining Indic/ Vedic Calendar with ‘Coolture’ ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
The majesty of Masrur Rock Cut Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
In his book, ‘Coronation of Shiva – Rediscovering Masrur’, Prof. Narinder K Singh says. “I travelled some 1800 years back in the history, to find this monolithic temple standing majestically on the top of a hill in the Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh. At first sight, it looked like a great ship of rock wrecked … Continue reading The majesty of Masrur Rock Cut Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples of Bangalore (Basavangudi temples) – ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Devakula Yatra of Gudiya Sambhrama 2023 As part of the Heritage Parampara, a non-profit registered trust's annual programme ; Gudiya Sambhrama - the Bangalore Temple Festival', it was a pleasure to participate in the 'Temple Walk' on the final day of the 10-day programme that involved music, dance, talks and much more. Heritage Parampara has … Continue reading Temples of Bangalore (Basavangudi temples) – ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Vistas of Vidarbha (Part 2): The story and history of Ramtek Garh Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
I have been reading ‘History of Sacred Places’ by Hans Bakker and the chapter on Ramtek (near Nagpur) shows that it was an ancient centre of Vishnu in the 18th century. After the struggle between the Peshwas and the Mughals, the region of Berar or Vidarbha came under the control of the Marathas (Parsoji Bhonsle). … Continue reading Vistas of Vidarbha (Part 2): The story and history of Ramtek Garh Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples around Thrissur, Kerala (Gurvayurappan temple, Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple, Vadakkunnathan temple) ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
In the five decades (plus!) of my life, I have had the good fortune of getting the darshan of Guruvayurappan many times. As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to write about this wonderful, and powerful temple on this website, as we had the good fortune of travelling earlier this year in … Continue reading Temples around Thrissur, Kerala (Gurvayurappan temple, Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple, Vadakkunnathan temple) ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples of Mavinkere and the Hoysala Temples in Malnad Region, Karnataka ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
A 5 am departure from Bangalore and we were on our way to the Hassan District of Karnataka on the National Highway 75. It was seat of the Hoysala Empire which at its peak ruled large parts of south India from Belur as its early capital and Halebidu as its later capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE. It has … Continue reading Temples of Mavinkere and the Hoysala Temples in Malnad Region, Karnataka ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples of Bangalore- Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
The Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple, near the K R Market, Bangalore, brings back a lot of childhood memories of when I would accompany my grandmother during many Vaishnava festivals, especially Vaikuntha Ekadasi. One of the oldest temples of Bangalore, it has a lot of history associated with it. In 1686, the Mughals under Aurangzeb won … Continue reading Temples of Bangalore- Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Pearls Across Penna- Day 2 (part 4) Tallapaka – the birth & seat of bhakti ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
From Attirala, our next stop was to Tallapakka, which is the birth place of the great saint and composer Annamacharya, who has written more than 32 thousand kirtanas / hymns on Sri Thirumala Venkateshwara. 6 kilometres, 12 minutes The place was earlier known as Tatipaka, which translates as people who live in huts made from … Continue reading Pearls Across Penna- Day 2 (part 4) Tallapaka – the birth & seat of bhakti ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Pearls Across Penna Trail – Day 1 (part 2) Venkatgiri Weaves and Venkatgiri Fort ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Satiated after a Andhra thali lunch at the Hotel MGM Grand, Srikalahasti, our next stop was the town of Venkatgiri. This is a town in the Tirupati District of Andhra Pradesh. History of Venkatgiri: Venkatagiri was originally known as Kalimilli till the 17th century and was ruled by Gobburi Palaiyakkarars (or Polygars as the British called … Continue reading Pearls Across Penna Trail – Day 1 (part 2) Venkatgiri Weaves and Venkatgiri Fort ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
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