Blogs from Karnataka, India, Asia - page 10

Today was a good example of an Indian breakfast, dosa which is like a pancake, coconut chutney, a potato dish and a dish with a kind of grain that is in texture more mushy than rice. I prefer Indian breakfast to Chinese breakfast. On the way to Pattadakal there were many birds in the fields and on the overhead wires. The nests of weaver birds werehanging in the trees. Pattadakal is a cluster of temples where the Chalukyan kings were crowned. Some of the temples were built in association with military victories. In date these temples come after the Badami caves. Pattadakal was a commercial centre and a meeting place for architects and sculptors from north and south India. The temples display different architectural styles. We are familiar with the Dravidian style which has tiers, but ... read more

This morning's drive was first along the fast road north heading to Bijapur. Men wereselling knives by the side of the road. The knives were curved in pirate style. An odd thing to see for sale as you drive past. On the quiter road to Badami the crops included peanuts and sunflowers. The harvesting of the peanuts seemed to involve pulling up the whole plant. We passed through a village where a festival hadtaken over the road. There was a huge amount of buying going on. This is a festival for the agricultural workers. The goods on offer included shiny new blue tractors. Toys, clothes, sunglasses, food snacks, and all sorts of household items were on sale. Not too different from a department store. There were also a couple of fairground rides and a dirty gypsy ... read more

After our river crossing our first visit was to the Vittala temple. On the way we walked past granite pillars which mark where the market For horses used to be. This is one of the seven markets at Hampi. It was a huge metropolis with one million inhabitants. We also stopped at a water tank. There was a complex system of aqueducts and this tank was the water source for the market. Vittala temple was quiet when we arrived and it gave a good opportunity to take photos. The highlights in the temple are the stone chariot and the musical pillars. The stone chariot is reintact in good condition despite the numerous fingers. Originally it was drawn by horses, but these are lost. Elephants found nearby were substituted. The mandala with musical pillars can has been ... read more

The Hoysala temples are star shaped and they have star quality carvings. Our first visit today had some connections with the Hoysala, but it is now a Jain temple. On the way we passed a large sugar cane factory. Most of the sugar cane is still taken to the factory by bullock carts. Outside the factory were lines of bullock carts and on the road there were more all heading to the factory. Shravengabola is a Jain village. It is named after an ancient pond. On either side of the pond are hills, each with a Jain temple. We climbed the 650 or so stone steps up the tallest hill. At the top is a a granite simple temple with a huge granite statue. After a lunch break at the hotel in Hassan we drove to ... read more

Before leaving Eco Habitat we were given a tour of the farm. It was interesting to see the coffee beans. They also grow vanilla, herbs and vegetables. On the way to Mysore we stopped in the large Tibbetan refugee town to visit the golden temple. The temple has a large picture of the Dali Lama from his visit to the area last year. This is a new large built in the 1980s. Everything is new and shiny, related to, but not quite the same as the old monasteries in Nepal and Bhutan. In Mysore we met our guide Mr Raghu. He likes a joke - crocodiles in the river! Our first visit was to palace place of the Maharajas. The family still live in part of the palace. They are wealthy, but they do not have ... read more