Nagamangala

On 13^th of November, during Diwali holidays, I decided to explore Nagamangala, a place that had been on my to do list for a long time. Since it is located midway between Mysore and Bangalore, I asked my sister if she wanted to join us. Preethi and I left home at around 7AM. We stopped at Paakashala restaurant near Yediyur. This is the only store that serves Aapam and Paddu. We enjoyed a good breakfast and continued our journey to Nagamangala via a village route. The route was scenic.

The Saumya Keshava temple was almost empty when we reached there. We could see the main deity from up close.  Akhila, Bawa and Deeksha joined us there. The temple priest and some helpers showed us the key features of this beautiful Hoysala architecture. They pointed at the Aadhi sesha sculpted on the roof of the mantapa in front of the main shrine. 

We drove to Yoga Narasimha temple but it was closed. We then drove to Shri Veerabadhra Swami temple. Some devotees were serving Prasada to people there. 

We returned back to Saumya Keshava temple. My sister paid an amount for a pooja and sat with others as the priest chanted mantras and began the ritual. Since the temple was not crowded, it was peaceful to sit and watch the idols. They are beautifully carved. 

After the pooja, we were served some curd rice and a Avalakki-Banana sweet. After having the prasada, we decided to scout for a place to have lunch. The woman selling flowers outside the temple suggested a few vegetarian options in town. We chose one of them. It was not a great place but the food was decent. Just opposite to the restaurant was a local mill. We bought some jaggery powder and oil there. 

 

Post lunch, Akhila and Bawa left to Mysore while Deeksha came back to Bangalore with us. On our way, we stopped at one of the villages and walked around. It was an idyllic setting with peacocks wandering around. A banyan tree with its several hanging roots made us return to our childhood days. 

 

Close to Markonahalli dam backwaters, we came across a nice spot. Two men were fishing there. We stepped out and sat there for a bit enjoying the view. 

We then visited the dam where a man and his old mother talked to us about how the place would be flooded during rainy season. I plan to come back here someday. This would be a good half day trip from Bangalore to view sunset. Many locals were having a picnic at the dam. 

On our way back we stopped at IKEA for some shopping. It was a short but an interesting day spent in the countryside.