| A local fair at Banashankari |
[Jun. 16th, 2008|11:48 pm] |
Flute seller: at a fair in Banashankari, near Badami, Karnataka.
The cattle fair is supplemented by another fair, a place for shopping, some entertainment and when you can combine it with a visit to a temple, it is a sure hit for the locals from all around.
( read on with more photos... )
and that ends the series of posts from the 'North-Karnataka, January, 2008' trip. |
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| Cattle fair, Badami |
[Jun. 12th, 2008|01:24 pm] |
Show me your teeth: a potential buyer checks the teeth to gauge the health of the animal; at a cattle fair near Badami, Karnataka.
The road to Badami from Gadag looked like it had been resurfaced recently going through a small town called Ron. My intention of going to Badami was to see the old temples at Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Mahakoota, but a few kilometers before reaching Badami there were more interesting events taking place: a village fair(Jathre) at the temple town of Banashankari and a cattle fair on an open field closer to Badami. Checked into the Mayura hotel in Badami and later in the evening went out to the cattle fair.
( read on with more photos... )
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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| Lakkundi, Gadag |
[Jun. 4th, 2008|08:48 am] |
Front of a home: Lakkundi, Gadag, Karnataka.
As I was about to leave for this trip, there lay an article on the Chalukyan era temples in Gadag, on top on a heap of old newspapers; there were a few places mentioned and I had a quick glance before leaving and Lakkundi was one place that remained in memory a week later. So after kayaking on the Kali I was on my way from Dharwad to Gadag via Hubli. Staying in Gadag I made a small trip to Lakkundi in the evening.
( the temples and life in the village... )
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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| Kayaking on the Kali |
[May. 30th, 2008|05:45 pm] |
Ready: a sunflower ready to open; taken in a sunflower field somewhere between Bijapur and Dharwad, Karnataka. We stopped here to get a closer look at the sunflowers in a sunflower field adjacent to a groundnut field. All the sunflowers were facing east, while the sun was to the west.
( We know tea, but what is KT? )
( Problems finding a hotel in Dharwad... )
( Kayaking on the Kali... )
We rode back to Dharwad and bought some Dharwad pedhas on the way to the hotel; the two packets were supposed to last the next week and the journey back home but got over the very next day in Gadag.
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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| Bidar, and on to Bijapur |
[May. 20th, 2008|10:39 pm] |
There were a few more interesting things we explored in Bidar other than the Bidri work, the fort and the tombs:
Biryani : A large percentage of the population in Bidar are muslims and there are quite a few small hotels on the main road serving biryani. We asked for a recommendation from a automobile spares vendor where we bought some engine oil and ended up having delicious biryani for lunch in a jam-packed(!) hotel.
The Jharani temple : This temple is inside a cave(looked man-made) but the unique thing is that you have to walk through about 50ft of waist-deep water to get to the sanctum where there is a statue of Narasimha and a Shiva linga. We were asked to visit this place by one of the guys at the hotel we stayed in; water sprouts out of the cave year round and it is considered holy to have a bath here. There are lockers and towels outside for rent and it is better to take a change of clothes if you plan to walk inside the cave wading through the water.
Gurudwara: Supposedly Guru Nanak came here and pushed aside a rock from where water sprouted for the water starved people living here and according to a local this is the second most important place for the Sikhs after the Golden temple at Amritsar. Free lunch is provided to people visiting the place and we were there at around lunch time.
To Bijapur: We started early the next day and took the route to Homnabad. Asking a couple of people at the junction where we had tea, we found that the shorter route to Bijapur via Gulbarga was not quite in very good shape while the NH to Sholapur and then another NH to Bijapur from there was in excellent condition though it was a bit longer; we decided to take the later route going through a bit of Maharastra and reaching Bijapur late in the evening. The clothes people wear did not change much across the different state: all whites to make the summer heat bearable.
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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| Bahamani tombs |
[May. 19th, 2008|02:00 pm] |
Wishing tokens: the care-taker of the tomb tells us that you tie a token with a horse if you wish for good health and a token with a cradle if you wish for a baby; tomb of Ahmad Shah Bahamani; Bidar, Karnataka.
( more-6 )
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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| Bidri Work |
[May. 12th, 2008|05:15 pm] |
Etching the design : one of the steps in Bidri Work; Bidar, Karnataka.
Bidri : Silver inlay work brought down by the Persians and localized here has become one of the unique arts of Bidar.
( read on with more photos... )
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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| The long way to Bidar |
[May. 12th, 2008|11:04 am] |
Bidar is farther than Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa and Kanyakumari from Bangalore: 735 kms, a long distance even though it is in Karnataka.
( read on... )
North-Karnataka, January, 2008 |
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