Around Hassan

 We had a wedding to attend on 25th Aug 2013 in Hassan. Our initial plan was to leave early in the morning from Bangalore, go to Hassan, attend the wedding and return back. The schedule looked too tight, hence the plan was changed and was made into a weekend trip. Now the question was what to do on Saturday in Hassan. Some research on internet for places around Hassan gave me 2 interesting choices, Manjarabad Fort and Bucesvara temple, Koravangla . So the plan was finalized.

Manjarabad Fort: 

" Manjarabad Fort was constructed by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore as a strategic defensive location. The fort served this use because it commands the approach to the plateau beyond Sakleshpur from the coast. Situated on a hillock, the fort is on one level, unlike other forts, which are multi-level.

Only source of water in the fort are cross-shaped pits with steps leading into them. The fort is located just outside Sakleshpur on National Highway (NH) 48. Work on the fort commenced in 1785, and ended in 1792. The star shaped fort was also used to store the ammunitions, during the reign of Tipu Sultan. Its strategic location enables soldiers in the fort to see the British army coming from Mangalore.
    

From the fort, tourists can get an aerial view of the Western Ghats. Out of the many chambers in the fort, some were used to house the horses. Certain chambers served the soldiers as kitchen and bathroom. A tunnel in the fort leads to Srirangapatna. Later, the tunnel was used to dump dead bodies. The fort has Islamic style of architecture and arched entrance-ways. The forts sits at an elevation of 3,240 ft above sea level. "

Day 1 ( 24/8/2013) : -

   We left Bangalore at 6:30 AM and reached Yashwanthpur fly over in no time as the roads were empty in the morning. We stopped at Shark food court for thatte idle on the way.

Driving direction to Manjarabad fort

  We crossed Hassan and by 9:30 AM. It was drizzling on the way and we drove carefully. We reached Hotel Mythri and stopped for a coffee. There is a shop next to Hotel Mythri where they sell dry fruits, honey, spices and handicrafts for affordable price. From here fort is 4 KMs away on Bangalore - Mangalore highway.

   Here you need to park your vehicle and take the pathway to reach the fort.  Fort is about 250 mts of walking with about 100 odd steps to climb.

Climb this to reach the fort

Entrance of the fort

Architecture inside the fort

It is said that this tunnel leads to Srirangapatna

Carpet of green grass was every where

Some wild flowers had grown on the fort wall

This looked like a water hole

Hideout of watch guards

It was scenic around

It was time for us to leave

  We left from Manjarabad fort at 1:45 PM. Stopped for lunch at hotel Mythri at Sakleshpur. And reached Hassan at around 2:45 PM. We had booked our hotel in Hassan, we checked in and took some rest. 
   At 4:30 PM we left hotel for Bucesvara temple in Koravangla. This temple is about 10 KMs from Hassan city. 

Route map to Bucesvara temple, Koravangla

   From Hassan city, reach Dairy Circle and continue on Arasikere road for about 5 KMs and take a right. You will find a railway crossing, cross the railway crossing and drive about 4 KMs to reach the temple. Arasikere highway was in bad condition, so this 10 KMs of drive took about 30 mins, we reached the temple at 5:00 PM. 

Bucesvara temple : 

   " The Bucesvara temple (also spelt Bucheshwara or Bucheshvara) is a simple yet elegant specimen of 12th century of Hoysala architecture. It is located in the village of Korvangla, 10 km from Hassan city, in Hassan district or Karnataka state, India.The temple was built in 1173 A.D. by a rich officer called Buci (or Buchiraja), to celebrate the coronation of Hoysala King Veera Ballala II.Nearby are two more temples that are in ruins. From the inscriptions on the premises, it is evident that these two temples had been commissioned by Buci's older brothers, Govinda and Naka. This temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

   By plan, the temple is a divikuta (two shrines) that face each other. These shrines are connected by a closed mantapa (hall) and an open mantapa. Consequently, one shrine appears much dimmer in lighting than the other. At the eastern end of the complex is a small shrine whose deity is the Bhairava, a form of the Hindu god Shiva.

   The western shrine facing the east, containing an image of Surya (the Sun god in Hinduism) has a staggered square plan (also called "cross in square", a square with three projections per side), its kalasa (decorative water-pot on top of the tower over the shrine,and Hoysala crest (warrior stabbing a lion) are intact, and the decorative features on the sikhara (tower over shrine) and the outer walls are "conventional" by Hoysala standards.

  The eastern shrine, which contains a linga (the universal symbol of the Hindu god Shiva) has a similar plan; a Sukhanasi (called "nose") which is a low protrusion of the tower over the shrine and is built over the vestibule which connects the vimana (cella) to the hall. However its main tower is missing and it is unclear if the tower was a part of the original plan or not. "

Bucesvara temple, Koravangla

Carvings on the wall

One of the shrines

They have a well maintained garden in the temple yard 

The Hoysala symbol

 

Interiors of the temple

  This temple is  a very small place at the end of the village. A priest comes int he morning and performs pooja and a caretaker takes care of the temple and garden who also is the guide who will explain the history of the place. Care taker informed us about the sorry state of the temple, they had some electricity issue which has been on going for a couple of months and they were waiting for authorities to fix it. He had to use a search light to show us the interiors of the temple. Hope the things have improved from there on now. We left the temple at 6:00 PM and reached the hotel at 6:30 PM.

Day 2 ( 25/8/2013) : -

   Attended the wedding , checked out of hotel and left Hassan at 2:30 PM. Reached home by 5:30 PM for a hot cup of coffee.